The Nexus
by The Effervescent Auror
Summary: Lost amongst the chaos of the Quidditch World Cup; Hermione gets separated from Harry and Ron due to unforeseen circumstances. As if things could not get any worse she bumps into Draco Malfoy. Forced to spend the night together they form a bond that changes everything. AU, post-PoA, DM/HG.
1. A Flash of Platinum Blonde

**A Flash of Platinum Blonde**

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I will never own Harry Potter.

A/N: This is the first story I have ever put on the internet so please be kind. I appreciate any constructive criticism. I know I am far from perfect and I don't have a beta to keep me on check but I hope you enjoy my story and thanks for reading!

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Among the screams of torment, cries from children and panic; wizards and witches were fleeing for their lives. Families huddled together in their nightwear around seemingly mundane objects only to disappear in a blur. Parents cried out for their lost children. Couples stood hand in hand looking into each other's eyes for some solace. The only source of light was from the Death Eaters. They walked slow; closely packed together with their wands pointed up towards the floating bodies of a muggle family as they created a path of destruction wherever they went.

The path was dark and Hermione was being shoved in all directions. The night air was cold on her uncovered skin. The nightgown had been poor cover for the late summer night. Thank goodness she had put on her coat. She clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering as the cool breeze whipped around her hair. She walked away from the chaos under the cover of some trees with Harry following behind. She heard a familiar yell that could have only been from Ron.

She stopped dead in her tracks. "What happened?" she asked Harry as she felt him walk into her. They were meant to stay together. How could Ron be so clumsy? The crowd in this state could trample him. Her heart was racing, thoughts unfocused as her eyes frantically looked for ginger hair under the dark of night when a flash of platinum blonde caught her eye. In this moment of distraction, everything changed.

"I'll go look for him, you stay back here in the trees. Stay out of sight," shouted Harry as he took off.

"No, Harry stop, we shouldn't separate…" But Harry had sprinted off in the opposite direction of where they needed to go, shouting out for Ron before she had even had the chance to speak. Faced with only one option, Hermione ran after him, shoving herself past the panic but Harry had gotten a head start.

"Harry, Ron, where are you?" she shouted.

Harry ducked his head into the crowd and seemed to have disapparated from sight. All she could see was the throng of nameless faces lit by the reds and oranges from the rampant fires.

"Harry, what are you thinking? Ron could be anywhere and you're not going to find him like that!" she shouted out but doubted he would even hear her over this mess.

She walked back to lean against a tree. She would never be able to find him now. How could he be so stupid? He always had to be the one to save the day. Why couldn't he have just thought about what he was going to do for a second? Then he would realise how stupid the idea was to run off alone.

"Harry, where are you? Come back here right n…"

"Granger, shouldn't you be hurrying along instead of screaming the Dark Lord's arch nemesis' name, you wouldn't want to be spotted would you?" Draco said stopping Hermione from finishing her demands.

He walked up to her with his signature smirk on his face that made her want to slap him again like last year but harder. He towered over her due to a growth spurt over the summer but she was not the least bit intimidated. He was dressed characteristically all in black in the wizard's version of a suit. His black suit jacket gracefully went down to his knees and his collar was up as if he was a model. His trousers were unblemished by creases or lines. Every item of clothing fit perfectly. Undoubtedly a designer with magic had made it as no muggle could make clothes so fine without any imperfections. Bizarrely, his hair that was usually sleeked back was slightly ruffled without any signs of his overused gel.

She suddenly felt shabby in her makeshift outfit consisting of a flimsy white nightgown, mismatching fluffy socks, her favourite sturdy leather ankle boots and a worn out jacket that she had practically stolen from her dad. She almost smiled just thinking of him. At the same moment, a bomb-like explosion sounded from the campsite bringing her back to reality. A flash of green light briefly illuminated their faces. Out of all the possible times, he chooses now to interrupt.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione said defiantly.

"Are you blind or do you not see that they're after Muggles and more importantly your little friend, Scarhead?" Now she was getting even more worried. Harry was probably the Death Eaters most wanted person but she didn't want to admit Draco was right. His ego was already chocking.

"Harry will be fine, if he can beat Voldemort he can also beat his disciples," she said trying to convince herself more than Draco. Draco couldn't help but flinch slightly at the sound of Voldemort's name. He hated how a name could have such an affect on him.

"Granger, they're also after Muggles. D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around. . . they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh," Draco mocked.

Hermione had also seen poor Mr Roberts, the campsite manager and his family being humiliated and tortured. It had sickened and terrified her.

"I'm also a witch, it's not like they have an ancestry detector devise that they scan you with as you go through the door. I'm as much of a witch as any other pureblood."

"Fine, have it your way. If you think they won't be able to spot a mud… one of your kind, stay where you are."

"As you might of have heard I have to wait here for Harry and Ron to come back." Hermione huffed trying to ignore his little slip up.

"How wonderful for Potty and Weasel to have such a loyal, dead friend. And this could've all been avoided if you had been smart enough to follow my advice. Oh what a shame," he joked, in a nonchalant manner.

"This must be great for you Malfoy, finally some quality entertainment, all those horrible muggles finally getting what they deserve." Hermione could feel Draco's magic revolt as she said it but Draco's face gave away nothing. He had a face that seemed to portray complete indifference but something about it felt off. His expressions almost never seemed genuine.

"Granger, stop fooling around. You are known as Harry Potter's muggle-born friend, so go ahead, insult me and wait for the Death Eaters to capture you, all the more entertainment for me," he said cheekily.

"I'll wait until I need to go and who knows maybe your father might keep me alive and wait till the almighty dark lord comes back to reward him," she said harshly.

"Don't speak of my father in such an insolent manner, as if he would have need for a mudblood like you," he sneered.

Before she could quip back, a huge bang sounded from the other side of the trees, making her ears ring for a moment before she could hear the faint screams of people terrified. Draco chuckled slightly seemingly amused by other's fear but Hermione didn't buy into his facade so easily.

"Scare easily don't they?" Draco said lazily.

"Some people aren't devoid of emotions, people are obviously terrified and for good reason. Not all of us have connections to the other side."

"What are you implying? That I am somehow linked with the Death Eaters, never heard that one before." Draco said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Stop that, how can you joke around in this situation?"

"Joke around, I was merely asking a question and assuming the answer. Obviously I was correct as per usual." Draco said with false innocence.

"Don't pretend with me, I can see past your little facade. This bothers you doesn't it? Somewhere deep inside there is some shred of humanity that is begging to escape. I can feel it," she accused. Draco's composure seemed to falter slightly but then he looked angry.

"Granger, don't try and think that everyone is a goody-little-two-shoes like you are because that's not true. Tonight's events are proof of that. So stop being so naïve and come to see the world for the real twisted place it is. It's more fun that way," he said excitedly.

"Get over yourself already. You know what, I don't even want to be a part of this conversation anymore. I just can't deal with you at the moment so please leave me alone and go back to your dad. Let me cope with my own problems before I do something that I'll regret," she said, her hair sparking with frustration.

"Merlin, have I broken some serious rules to deserve such treatment because as far as I know, there's no reason why I shouldn't be allowed to stay here. You should know that with that walking encyclopaedia in your head. Always the teachers pet I see." His eyes bore into hers knowing he was right.

"Maybe you could make some real friends if you stopped being such a prick. There are a lot of good people out there. All you have to do is look. So why don't you start now? It's as good a time as any."

"Save you false sappiness for someone else. Friends are useless, what I have is far better. I have loyalty," he said with arrogance.

"How would you know? Have you ever tried anything other than pulling out the rich daddy card to gain, what did you call it? Loyalty. Ha! As if!"

"I install fear into those who I want as allies. They are the ones that I can profit from their acquaintance. So what does Potty and Weasel give you? A fear for your life and guilt for not giving it!"

"The real way to gain loyalty is to love. Love for another, not the romantic kind but the true friendship kind; that is irreplaceable. Everyone needs a friend and the people who really love you would give their life for you. That is true loyalty."

Her words struck him hard as he could feel that she genuinely believed it but he would never let weakness show. Just like he was taught. She just couldn't understand that he was trying to give her some needed common sense but she wouldn't listen.

Why was he worrying about her? She had anything but a prestigious family background or power. He should despise her for her heritage but yet he couldn't make himself feel that way towards her. Even when she had slapped him he had sworn Crabbe and Goyle to secrecy and had never brought it up again even though he knew a word with his father would give her hell. He had convinced himself that it was because he didn't want to be seen as a weak person that got beaten up by girls but he wasn't so sure.

She looked vulnerable in her white, frilly nightgown but her crackling magic brewing in her core and the fire behind her eyes said otherwise. She was strong, but he was starting to get worried as he could hear the Death Eaters getting closer. Some of them were splitting off to deal with people individually.

All of a sudden, a red curse came flying from behind Hermione. Draco by instinct shoved her down to the ground on the side out of harms way falling with her to the ground.


	2. Entwining Magic

**Entwining Magic**

Disclaimer: I can say with absolute confidence that I (don't) own Harry Potter.

A/N: Thank you to the people who favourited, followed, and the reviewers Allyson who was the first person to write a review, angstar54 who pointed out a mistake I made, The Diagon Alley Merchant, Emma, 'Guest', and Marcel. I wasn't expecting this response from only my first chapter, so thank you all. Unfortunately. I can only write back to reviewers who login ;(

Sorry for taking so long to write this chapter. Like Hermione I am a bit of a perfectionist but this chapter is slightly longer with a few very important points that will be crucial later on to make up for it. I'll try to post faster from now on. I welcome all constructive criticism and reviews really make my day! I hope you enjoy the continuation of my story and thanks for reading!

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_Previously: All of a sudden, a red curse came flying from behind Hermione. Draco by instinct shoved her down to the ground on the side out of harms way falling with her to the ground._

The curse almost scraped Draco's hair but after years of Quidditch training his reflexes were far above average. After the initial shock of being pushed, Hermione felt slightly crushed under Draco's weight. She felt his body press against her, his stomach surprisingly hard, legs intertwined with hers and she felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Thankfully his elbows were supporting the brunt of his weight but she felt dwarfed by his size.

Draco was tall, almost as tall as Ron but while Ron was awkward and gangly Draco was lithe and svelte. He had filled out during the summer and had always moved in precise, annoyingly graceful movements similar to those of a trained dancer as opposed to Ron who often tripped over his own feet. She doubted Draco had ever had a clumsy moment in his life.

Now that she thought about it, she had never been so physically close with a boy before, not even with Harry and Ron. She saw his features up close, his boyish, aristocratic beauty. She wondered for a moment if the rumours of him being part veela were true with his high, angular cheekbones, stormy grey eyes framed with long, dark lashes, perfect creamy skin and his signature silvery-blonde hair that was usually sleeked back but was now looking impeccably tousled as if he had just got out of bed. Nevertheless, she quickly dismissed the idea when thinking of his strong frame and firm jawline, which were highly atypical qualities for those of Veela heritage.

Draco deftly untangled himself from Hermione and rolled to the side with one knee on the ground and his other foot planted firmly on the ground. In a different situation people may have thought he was about to propose but he held a wand in his hand instead of a ring and he kept his other hand in a tight fist anchored in the ground for support.

"Wh-what's happening?" Hermione stuttered as she heard a demonic laugh echo off the hallowed forestry.

"Oh dear Draco, have you been seduced to the other side by Harry Potter's mudblood girlfriend?" the Death Eater said amused.

Draco looked back at Hermione shooting her and exasperated glare as if it were all her fault then quickly got up to face the unknown Death Eater with Hermione hastily following behind.

"You must have gotten the wrong idea. I'm simply telling her where she belongs, she's rather aggravating," Draco lied smoothly but the Death Eater wasn't so easily fooled.

Hermione on the other hand could just see the back of his head and only heard the arrogant tone that she usually associated with him, which lead her to believe that she was in for a struggle. Without hesitance, her overactive mind began formulating escape plans as she subtly slid her wand into her hand so she could react quickly if she was attacked again.

"Really, so you wouldn't mind if I joined in, for old times sake? I need some entertainment on this dreary night."

"Don't you have more important things to do? I doubt your friends will be pleased with you running off and abandoning them," Draco mentioned.

"They will not be anything but pleased when I reveal to them that a blood-traitor lays in our midst. Lucius will be furious."

"Really, how can you make such preposterous accusations? You need evidence to prove your outrageous beliefs," he said in disbelief almost laughing at his allegations.

"All I need is right here." He said pointing his index finger to his head.

"So are you going to drill a hole in your brain just to prove how certain you are?"

"You underestimate me. Before jumping to conclusions I sat around and listened as you tried to help her get away. I always knew you had a soft heart but I thought Lucius would have beaten it out of you by now. Sure, she wasn't what I was expecting but I understand the appeal, she is a beauty."

"Now if what you thought was going on between us was true, which is anything but credible, wouldn't that make you a hypocrite? Are you so deluded to look on mudbloods as objects to be desired?" Draco said, disgust coating his words though it sounded false to the Death Eater causing the edges of his lips to twitch upwards in amusement.

"Well you put on quite a convincing show but there is no room for sympathisers. In time, Draco, you would have learned how to appreciate beauty in all its forms. It's a shame I have to kill you both."

"Don't be absurd. I doubt my father will be pleased to hear of our… misfortunate misunderstanding," Draco said while keeping up his aloof façade only to hear the Death Eater laugh in disbelief.

"My, oh my. You really are a mummy's boy. You really shouldn't let yourself care so much, especially when it comes to their kind," he said, pointing to Hermione.

The Death Eater then attacked with a fierce, non-verbal green curse but Hermione put up a very advanced, powerful shield. The Death Eater seemed surprised at first by her knowledge of spells but quickly fired curse after curse, slowly breaking down her shield with his savage, black magic. Draco fired his most brutal jinxes, which kept the Death Eater busy while Draco was safely under Hermione's protection making the Death Eater progressively more frustrated. He was in shock of how a mudblood-in-training was able to hold up against a highly trained Death Eater like himself.

He was merciless, firing the most ruthless curses he knew and began to grin as her shield started to flicker. Draco could feel the shield draining her power so he swiftly sent a nasty stinging hex to distract him coupled with a non-verbal impediment jinx that froze the Death Eater for a few seconds letting Hermione release the shield as it had weakened her more than she wanted to admit. She involuntarily fell back, leaning against Draco and his unarmed hand held her firmly in place, his hand touching the base of her bare neck. The nausea and disorientation only affected her for a moment.

Without another moment wasted Draco and Hermione then took advantage of the Death Eaters moment of weakness and they both sent identical stunners in synchronicity as if their bodies where governed by one, great mind but something unprecedented happened as the spells were fired. The spells seemed to entwine in mid-flight, coiling like snakes till their magic combined turning into one omnipotent spell. The powers together seemed to amplify their already powerful magic making the spell blaze with terrifying energy. Hermione and Draco could feel the spell so intensely that their knees threatened to buckle.

The Death Eater hadn't felt magic so powerful since the Dark Lord's reign. He tried to summon his strongest shield draining the remains of his magic but it was of no use. The shield instantly shattered when the spell came crashing through with almost no effort and hit the Death Eater so severely that he flew back and hit the nearest tree with a deafening thump.

Once Hermione felt stable Draco took his hand away looking at his hands with concern, stretching it out as if he had a hand cramp, which was commonplace for Hermione when writing an essay. Hermione felt a peculiar sensation on her neck. It felt like she had been burned but instead of pain she felt this strange tingling accompanied by the feeling of heat. She discounted it as some sort of tactile hallucination as a side affect of overusing her magic.

"What just happened? I've never seen magic combine like that," Hermione said as they walked towards the Death Eater.

"I have no idea, you tell me, since you are so smart," he taunted.

"Combing magic is the stuff of myths and fables not textbooks," Hermione huffed as she checked for a pulse and Draco took off their opponent's mask.

"Oh, I should have known," Draco whispered to himself.

"Thank Merlin, he's still alive, but the pulse is a bit weak. Wait, what did you say? Do you recognise him?"

"Walden Macnair, he works at the ministry as the executioner."

"He was the one that was going to kill Buckbeak."

"That horrific beast, it deserved death after nearly killing me."

"Buckbeak was a wonderful creature, if only you hadn't felt compelled to offend him. Besides, all you got was a few scratches."

"That was a deadly creature. I could have died from my wounds. Only your Hagrid-loving Gryffindors supported that creature."

"You do realise that everybody just thought you were being a crybaby when you caused such a fuss."

"No they did not. You should have seen how the girls swarmed around me for being so brave in the face of that menacing, blood-thirsty creature," Draco said emphasizing the bird's apparent fierce qualities. Hermione couldn't contain her laughter anymore. She felt it bubble inside of her, the edges of her mouth twitching upwards until she burst into hysterics.

"Have you gone completely mad? First you defend that horrid monster after my traumatic experience and now you laugh in the face of a freezing night surrounded by a bunch of screaming idiots after you were nearly killed."

"Oh stop it, we need to focus on getting somewhere safe, not on something that happened last year," she said trying to settle down her laughs. It had been nice to escape the reality of their situation, even if it was only for a little while.

"First, we need to deal with Macnair. I can't have him waking up and spreading false information. It would be most annoying to have to deal with the family," he said matter-of-factly making Hermione even more confused.

He had just saved her life and this time it was out of conscious effort and could not be excused as mere reflexes. Why? She thought as it echoed round her head. Did he suddenly become a decent person over the summer holiday? That seemed unlikely; people didn't change so drastically over such a short period of time. There must be some other more logical reason. Maybe he just didn't want his father to know he would go so low as to try and talk to someone of her… caliber or maybe he just wanted all the fun to himself and didn't want to share.

"I've read about the Obliviation spell, that should keep him from telling your father about our… little meeting," Hermione said absentmindedly, thoughts still on Draco.

Despite all these more logical reasons, Hermione couldn't make herself believe them. So why else would Draco of all people be trying to protect her? He had always been cruel to her and all the other Gryffindors but now that she thought about it, he was mean to everyone especially the Hufflepuff first-years. He was even mean to his too frequent companions Crabbe and Goyle. He had only really insulted her when provoked but that still could not justify his atrocious behaviour over the past few years.

"Please, you can talk all the rubbish you want but don't let my father become the subject matter of importance," Draco said spitefully, interrupting her train of thought.

"Okay, I didn't know it was such a touchy subject," she said but it had come out slightly harsher than she had wished. She was still in shock at how little she knew of Draco. He usually mentioned his father with pride but now exhausted from the duel, he could hardly hide the malice in his voice when mentioning his own father. Something colossal must have happened over the summer to make him act this way. She felt her curiosity bubble inside of her but she quickly swept it aside.

"It's not. I hardly want to think of how comfortable he must be now, reclining on a regal chair talking with Cornelius Fudge by a crackling fire while I'm stuck in the cold, with you," he said facing away from Hermione as he spoke.

"Well I'm terribly sorry for that. It's not as if you stormed up to me, refused to leave until the point of which you nearly got us both killed," she said sarcastically with frustration leaking into her voice.

"That's because you were waiting out there for you stupid friends with some crazy death wish after they has abandoned you!" He exclaimed turning himself around to face her. "I, in a position of power took pity on you. It was an act of charity and you should be grateful," he said after calming down. Hermione was left speechless not knowing how to react. One moment he seemed cruel and the next almost human.

"That's beside the point, are you sure you can do the spell? It's very advanced, so don't be embarrassed if you want somebody to help you," he said patronisingly.

If it weren't Hermione Granger he was talking to, he would have insisted he do the spell himself. But knowing her, as much as it hurt to even think, she would have a better chance in getting the spell right first time. She was ever the perfectionist and had probably written a 20 foot-long essay at some point on obliviation but he would never admit these thoughts aloud.

"As if I would want help from you! I know all the theory behind the spell so what could go wrong?"

"Too many things to count. Just go ahead and wipe it all before I come to my senses."

"Okay, wish me luck." Hermione said in a caustic manner but Draco just stared at her with his eyebrows raised.

"Um, can I have some room?" She asked trying to sound polite which was hard in her present state. Draco moved a few steps back without question; he also liked to be alone when concentrating deeply.

Hermione repeated the wand movements with her small, deft hands moving with precision until she felt confident. She concentrated on the objective of the spell, picturing that she was trying to coax out a tangible, gaseous substance just as the books had instructed and focused on letting it flow though her.

"Obliviate." Hermione said once she felt in the right state of mind. Draco saw Hermione's wand pointing at Macnair. A wisp of white smoke then escaped from his nose, ears and mouth and was sucked into the wand until there was nothing left. On completion there was a smug smile on her face but she looked slightly pale from the effort. Maybe that was just the moonlight.

When she had finished, sneakily from her large jacket pocket bewitched with a small detectable extension charm, she got a glass tube and let the wispy memories float into the tube placing the cap over the top. His memories could be useful for Dumbledore, as she had recently written a long essay on memories and Pensieves for a Charms project over the holidays.

"He looks quite peaceful like that. Hopefully someone will find him, put him a proper facility and…" Hermione listed but froze instantly as she heard the distant, sinister voice of a stranger.


	3. Healing

**Healing**

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter this is how the story would've turned out.

Thanks for all the feedback and to my three wonderful reviewers WelcomeToTheAsylum (great name by the way), Zoe123, Emma and Allyson who gave wonderful reviews. I'm still rather annoyed that you can't reply back to guest reviewers. I've reached 50 followers (inner scream of joy) and thanks to all those who put my story in their favourites. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I was way too hyped for passing 1000 views but who can blame me. Sorry for taking so long to write this as I hit some serious writers block.

To distinguish between the two different conversations I've used italics for the strangers and I've also left a little key of all the spells used in this chapter at the end, which I found through using The Complete Encyclopaedia of Wizarding Charms, Hexes, Jinxes, and Spells which is great if you need inspiration and lastly, Happy Valentine's Day!

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**_Previously: "He looks quite peaceful like that. Hopefully someone will find him, put him a proper facility and…" Hermione listed but froze instantly as she heard the distant, sinister voice of a stranger._**

_"I'm sure I saw him walk this way," said a distant woman's voice. Beside the woman stood a tall, robust figure in the same dark cloak._

"Oh Salazar," was all Draco was able to say. He felt the blood rush from his face and his heartbeat quicken, reverberating throughout his body.

_"Are you certain? He could of just gone off on a childish rampage, as he is rather prone to savagery. That is why he is so good at his job," snarled the man._

"Quickly, behind this bush," Hermione whispered with a calm authoritative manner.

She pointed her wand at Macnair and quickly said Extaspectus before hurrying to find cover.

Even though Draco knew that Macnair was in the exact same place as before, his eyes averted the space only seeing the tree in his peripheral vision. He had an overwhelming urge to look elsewhere and to dismiss Macnair's existence. He squinted his eyes in concentration but all he could see was a plain old tree.

"Malfoy, hurry," Hermione said with urgency. Sensing the danger, he stealthily followed Hermione fending off the urge to make a snarky comment on her bossiness. He crouched beside Hermione behind a large thick bush dotted with plentiful thorns and dubious looking berries under the shadow of a large oak tree.

_"As I thought. There's no one here apart from us," the man sneered as they approached._

Both Draco and Hermione relaxed slightly when they heard his dismissal however as the figures came closer they could see that the man and the woman were wearing the infamous Death Eater costumes. Draco also couldn't help but feel that the woman's voice seemed awfully familiar.

_"I was certain that he came down this path. Macnair, if you're hiding somewhere please make yourself known now," she demanded._

_"Look around sister for as long as you need, but remember, they will soon wonder where we are," he warned._

As soon as he heard the word sister Draco's mind instantly made the connection. They had to be the Carrow twins, Amycus and Alecto, known for their penchant for the Unforgivable Curses and terrible dinner manners.

_"Yes, I'm well aware of that but what is more important, saving your friend or being a bit late for the after party," Alecto sneered while analysing the clearing._

_"He is no friend of mine. This is typical coming from him. Running off when we have important business to attend to," Amycus grunted, twisting the words with his contempt._

_"We weren't just messing around tonight and he knew that. He was focused, which is why I can't imagine him running off like this for no reason. What if he saw something?" she said with sinister curiosity._

_"He's obviously not here, I can't see him anywhere. This is giving me a headache, can we not look elsewhere?"_

_"That's bizarre, I'm starting to get a bit of a headache to," she cackled._

_"We have looked around here long enough, let's check a few other places before heading back."_

_"Well, I suppose we can venture into some of the deeper parts of the forest."_

_"Good thinking, then afterwards we can return to our brethren before they get suspicious," he said turning away from Macnair._

_"Wait a moment," she declared as the thought hit her. "Tell be in earnest. Can you see every tree, withered flower and bush with absolute clarity?"_

Draco and Hermione both caught their breath, shoulders tense in fear.

_"Not exactly but it is rather dark and I don't have your perfect vision. Remind me why we are lowering ourselves to such mundane work."_

Draco leaned over to Hermione to speak. "Can she break the spell?" Draco whispered into Hermione's ear barely making a sound. He was overwhelmed by the scent of her hair tickling his noise. Her natural scent was hard to put into words but if he had to Draco in that moment would have said she smelled like summer rain, sweet flowers and freshly baked bread before realising how utterly foolish he sounded and stopping himself before the words could form.

"Not by any obvious Revealing Charms but if she starts to say Ostendendum Veritatem, attack immediately." Hermione hushed, her lips almost brushing his ear as she spoke. Draco nodded slightly, not wanting to draw any attention to himself.

_"Exactly, I assume someone must have been doing some concealing charms around here. I wonder why?" Alecto said suspicious._

_"This is not worth our time, it's most likely something with no actual value to us," said Amycus who couldn't hide his frustration any longer._

_"That's exactly what the spell is making you think. It makes you want to ignore it. I've never encountered this exact spell but it should be easy enough to reveal."_

_"All these years I have been by your side as you obsessed over concealment charms and although it has been useful at times, spending anymore time in this damned forest is a waste. They expect us to not go to far so we should return soon."_

_"Hush now. I see you have grown very impatient. Do you doubt me brother? Are my instincts not consistently accurate?" She taunted._

_"You know that I would never doubt you but even if someone has hidden an item here, is it really worth wasting our precious night together? When the Dark Lord returns he will reward us with all the riches and power that we have ever desired."_

_"Please, let me try a few revealing charms to satisfy my curiosity," she asked and he reluctantly nodded in approval._

_"Finite Incantatem. Perhaps Appareo, hmm that usually works," Alecto noted._

_"Detego, this is bizarre, not even a slight change," she said frustrated._

_"Maybe there's nothing here," he muttered resigned to his sisters will._

_"Homenum Revelio. This spell must conceal an object within the perceivers mind," she said sounding abnormally impressed._

_"I briefly came across some ancient, mind manipulation spells a few months back and one spell in particular seemed to work in a similar way. However, the counter-spell is rather complex," She said mustering up her energy focusing on the counter spell._

_"Ostende…"_

"Immobulus!" Hermione and Draco both shouted before Alecto could complete her counter-spell. The pale blue spells crackled through the night sky in parallel. Unlike previously, the spells went straight on target without fusing with the other. Draco's stomach sunk as he had been hoping to replicate their previous feat. Maybe it was just a one-time thing.

Alecto who had been focused on her spell had only enough time to see the spell aimed at her. Amycus quickly constructed a shield against Draco's well-aimed spell with the edges of the shield extending to his sister, which dampened the impact of Hermione's spell.

A kaleidoscope of colours lit the forest clearing between the duellers alight with vehement magic from both sides. By some unspoken agreement Draco and Hermione systematically alternated between shielding and firing spells at Amycus. Even Amycus had to admit that they made a remarkably good team. They anticipated the others moves without trying as they had an innate sense of the others magic. Their minds couldn't begin to comprehend what they were feeling while clouded by adrenaline and fear but their bodies acted nevertheless as if governed by another force. They fired whichever spells came to mind, seamlessly weaving their arms in complex patterns without a second thought and swooping from side to side like two dancers, precisely entwining around the other.

Alecto was still on the ground frozen but Draco doubted the spell would last long since she had been slightly shielded. All the more reason to beat Amycus as quickly as possible. This was made terribly difficult by the fact that Amycus unlike Macnair was ruthlessly smart. He didn't just know the darkest of curses. He had mastered them over many years of careful training. Getting desperate he fired a ruthless cutting hex at Draco that cleanly sliced through his shield but at the last second Draco ducked out the way so it missed his neck but he was not quite quick enough and the hex caught him from the edges of his collarbone to his shoulder piercing through his suit leaving a deep cut where his neck had been a moment ago.

"Curse you!" Amycus exclaimed as he cast a nonverbal hex. Toxic black smoke swept through the grounds from his wand, encircling Draco and Hermione making them unable to see. Hermione out of curiosity reached out to touch the smoke with her wandless hand.

"Don't…" Draco cried as reached out to grab Hermione's arm away from the gas but not before a tiny wisp had wrapped around her hand.

"Aaah!" she exclaimed as she jerked her now blistered hand away from the smoke now in deep concentration deducing a counter spell from the depths of her mind.

"Clever one she is," sneered Alecto as she got up from her frozen state to join her brother.

"Maybe we could keep her for some quality entertainment. It's very hard to find nowadays," he sniped.

"Well, we have got then in our trap now, we can do whatever we want with them," she said haughtily.

"Flabro!" he heard Hermione say in her fury as a loud gust of wind erupted from the end of her wand blowing away all traces of the fog while blasting Alecto and Amycus down.

"Deprimo," Draco said causing the twins to be further crushed into the ground as an intense pressure inhibited them from making the smallest of movements as Hermione quickly spelled both of their wands into her pockets.

"Granger, I can't hold this spell for very long so would you mind,"

"Oh sorry." As soon as she had muttered Immobulus Draco released the spell after draining a dangerous amount of his magic. She also muttered Arretica under her breath, which enveloped the twins in a net just to satisfy her fears.

"Good Godric, I can't believe she saw through my spell," Hermione huffed.

"Granger, Alecto has spent most of her life since Potty's scarring incident dedicated to concealing herself and her brother Amycus. I was surprised she didn't notice it straight way."

"Still, it's such an unusual spell. They usually would go for the more well known Beddazling Hex or a Dissolusionment Charm."

"I'm sure you'll get over it. Now what should we do to them? This is the perfect chance to let out all your anger issues."

"I'm not the one with issues, that title belongs with you," rebuked Hermione.

"Do you recall being slapped? No, maybe that was because you were the one who slapped me," he pointed out. He was sure if the twins were still able to move they would be laughing at how pointless their argument was.

"You provoked me and I would gladly go back and do it again."

"And you say you don't have issues. Are you sure you don't need some anger management?" he said playfully trying to gesticulate to further emphasise his point but winced from the sheering pain originating from his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she said reaching towards him.

"It's just a small scratch. Nothing to worry your bushy little head about," he said with his uninjured arm up to nudge her away.

"That's not a small scratch. Look, you're bleeding heavily and it could get infected. Let me heal you," she implored.

"What about your hand?" he said trying to change the subject.

"My hand? Oh, that can wait till after I've helped you." As much as Draco's ego wanted to refuse her help, as the adrenaline left his system he began to feel dizzy. His feet uncharacteristically stumbled on tree roots as he took a step back almost falling as he began to see spots in his vision.

"Sit down now. I won't have you fainting on me," she ordered and Draco was in no state to argue.

He all but collapsed onto the ground and Hermione gently placed his back against an oak tree to keep him upright. She carefully undid every button of his ridiculously expensive suit jacket mindfully extricating his arms then laying it on his lap to preserve whatever remained of it. She then proceeded to undo the top buttons of his black shirt, which felt softer than the finest of muggle silks.

Draco wasn't sure if it was his imagination but he saw her gasp ever so slightly when seeing his exposed chest, mouth agape in either horror or… something else he dared not fool himself into hoping.

"You call this a scratch? What's next, the House of Parliament is the ultimate playhouse." She said with all the sarcasm she could muster in her distress. To her surprise he fully understood her muggle reference and didn't have the energy to conceal his smile.

His smile was radiant, with perfectly gleaming teeth, apart from his left incisor, which had been slightly chipped. Hermione couldn't help thinking that Draco would be her parents dream patient. His all but perfect teeth were encompassed in model-worthy lips. What was most surprising was how his eyes crinkled as he smiled to show that it was genuine. Hermione could not remember one time in the past three years when Draco had smiled so genuinely and uninhibited as this.

Seeing Hermione's bewildered expression he couldn't help but laugh. It was beautifully candid like a birds song, hearty and charming all at the same time yet almost melodic but his face quickly twisted into a grimace all to soon as his shoulder protested. In her charmed pockets she grabbed a muggle sterilising cream.

"This won't hurt one bit," she said which was a habit she picked up from her parents as they treated their patients. She applied the cream quickly and efficiently with her uninjured hand ignoring his initial groans in protest.

"Carne Cosorthum," she then cast causing his flesh to knit back together. She quickly followed the spell with Medimento, which sealed the wound preventing future infection.

In a rare moment of stupidity she grabbed bandages from her pocket with her blistered hand. "Ow, I forgot about that. Do you think that Episkey will do the trick?" she asked forgetting that Draco was probably as clueless as her.

"It should but let me do it. You shouldn't try to cast a charm on yourself. It could go horribly wrong and I've gone through enough inconveniences tonight already," he said trying to sound condescending rather than worried.

"Fine," she said through grated teeth although he could tell it was to cover her growing smile.

"Now you know how I felt. Episkey." The blisters quickly subsided and the skin of her nimble hand returned to being smooth and supple."

"Thank you. Now, I'm going to have to bandage your shoulder."

"But I can't feel anything anymore, it will be fine by morning, which is only a few hours away."

"Still, I don't want you moving your arm the wrong way as it could reawaken the wound. It's still quite tender despite my wonderful healing skills," she said with false arrogance while unravelling the bandage in her hand.

"Do you have a whole hospital ward in those pockets as well?"

"No, only an equipment room or two," she smirked.

"You know that you can just conjure a bandage around my shoulder."

"Yes but I like the muggle way better. I might be biased but it feels nicer if it's done by hand. I can still conjure a bandage if you want?"

"No, go ahead. You've already started," Draco said but despite it being true, the statement felt like a lie on his lips. He would never admit that it was as much to do with Hermione's delicate fingers brushing against his skin as it was the pleasant muggle bandage which much to his dismay, actually did feel more pliable and less constricting then conjured bandages.

"There, now you're as good as new," she said pleased with her seamless work.

"I know a place that we can crash for the night while this blows over."

"What about them?" She said pointing to the twins.

"Did you have to remind me?"

"Yes, we can't just leave them there. We could Obliviate them as well."

"Go ahead, they are terribly monotonous dinner guests. All they talk about are the Unforgivables. Crucio this, Imperio that. It gets very tiresome after a while."

"Are you sure? Have you done the spell before?"

"I know the theory. If you, Granger are capable of it then the spell mustn't be that hard."

"I'm sure you can but a word of caution if I may."

"If you feel obligated to do so," he said rolling his eyes.

"Try your hardest not to take in any of their memories and just let it flow through you. It's hard at first, they resist you as their consciousness bombards you trying to fight for survival but I'm sure you'll be fine."

"I can handle it. They deserve it after all those nonsense lectures they put me through," he said consciously omitting the real reasons he wanted them to suffer.

"Are you sure? It's quite taxing and with your arm…"

"Will you trust me for once and let me deal with Alecto?"

"Okay." Hermione apprehensively pointed her wand and whispered "Obliviate."

"Obliviate." Draco said, mimicking Hermione.

* * *

Spell Definitions:

Obliviate – to forget

Extaspectus - Prevents anyone from noticing or seeing an item. It does not cause the item to disappear, but it appears invisible to anyone other than the caster. It remains wholly tangible.

*Ostendendum Veritatem – to reveal the truth

Finite Incantatem – to finish spell

Appareo – causes an invisible item to become visible

Detego – to uncover, reveal

Homenum Revelio – to uncover hidden people

Immobulus – to render immobile

Deprimo - Causes an intense downward pressure.

Carne Cosorthum - Knits together torn flesh.

Medimento - Seals a wound.

*my own made up spell


	4. The Dark Mark

The Dark Mark

Disclaimer: No one but J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.

Thank you for all the feedback and to my seven lovely reviewers tardislover504, Wildravn, annaea3077, WelcomeToTheAsylum, annasan and the two guest reviewers who I really wanted to reply back to but that isn't allowed. Thanks to all those great people who liked my story enough to favourite and follow it. Sorry for taking so long but I hope you enjoy!

_Previously: _"Will you trust me for once and let me deal with Alecto?"

"Okay," Hermione apprehensively pointed her wand and whispered "_Obliviate."_

"_Obliviate,"_Draco said, mimicking Hermione.

Draco was consumed by fleeting memories that were not his own. He caught glimpses of an abusive childhood and he felt Alecto's young mind being gradually polluted with extremist views. He saw her brother Amycus through her eyes as she envied the respect he got from the other Slytherins whose faces were faintly recognizable. He was submerged in her hatred and deadly wrath towards _the mudbloods. _He could feel the searing pain on her arm as the dark mark twisted itself like a parasite distorting her pale flesh as if it were his own.

Her pride and sense of belonging grew as he heard the screams of her victims. She began to rise up the Dark Lord's ranks above her brother. He could see her glistening crimson hands and he felt her mouth spread wide in delight, cackling at the sight of victory staring down at the defenceless, their blood staining the ground. She corrupted his mind with the cries of despair and the sights of gruesome corpses with torn limbs and blistered skin. What terrified Draco most were their eyes. Dull and lifeless.

Draco's stomach churned in disgust. He was drowning in her consciousness and he knew Alecto was winning but at the back of his mind he heard the nagging of a familiar voice. _Try your hardest not to take in any of their memories and just let it flow through you_. He couldn't allow himself to fail once more and he would not allow himself to be bested by Granger. Not this time. He tried to accept the faces of the dead detaching her volatile emotions from his own. He pictured himself turning down a switch, dimming the memories until all he could see were faint flashes of light passing in and out of his consciousness. It became easier as Alecto started to weaken.

In a last attempt she showed him Granger and himself through her eyes. They looked so small from her perspective, so insignificant but then he saw Granger fight. The fire alight in her honey-brown eyes and her intricately calculated dance-like wand movements coupled by elaborate spells far more advanced then what they were taught. Alecto was disgusted by his sudden obsession but Hermione was entirely captivating and formidable.

His eyes shifted to himself as he leaped forward to shield them both. Did his hair really look so… uncivilised without his gel? He really needed to get new clothes to replace his current ones. The rags he was currently wearing were not appropriate for a Malfoy. He could practically feel Alecto roll her eyes at him if that were possible. He could feel her relish in the wasted time as the scene distracted him and she began to regain her lost strength.

With this strength she tried to show him the horrific event that had happened during his summer holidays. He felt like he was about to be sick as he felt the guilt corroding him as it had that night. He never wanted to see his father like that ever again a cruel and merciless creature unaware of the horror of his actions. His violent reaction against this memory shocked Alecto and he used this to close himself off from her before she could show him her final memories. The flow of memories abruptly cut off as the last of it was absorbed by Draco's wand causing him to stumble back into reality.

He crinkled his eyes adjusting to the environment looking up at Hermione's beautifully concerned eyes. Wait, what? Hermione's eyes weren't beautiful. That spell must have taken more out of him then he thought.

"Are you okay?" she asked breathlessly.

"Never better," he said trying to ignore the urge to be sick at the foreign memories. Now detached from Alecto he could feel his own emotions with frightening clarity. The guilt crippled him as he recalled the pained faces of those she had mercilessly killed despite him having no real reason to feel responsible. Those were her crimes not his and now she had paid the price but she didn't deserve this mercy. The only thing stopping him from violently and relentlessly lashing out was Hermione's calming presence numbing his inner turmoil.

His felt the moisture on his hand and realised he had been gripping his hands into a fist with such force that his nails had pierced his skin blotting his pale hand with his blood. Seeing the blood brought on the memories of Alecto's stained hands. The frustration was chocking and the faint traces of tears provoked by his paralyzing enmity began to form. A deep breath and a quick rub of the sleeve erased all evidence of his short-lived lack of self-control and he put on a mask of composure as he had been taught.

"You look a bit pale, let me…"

"I'm a Malfoy, my skin is classified as polished ivory," he mocked but as he said it her knees began to weaken as she stumbled. He felt himself instinctively reach out to steady her but stopped himself as she quickly regained her balance so he ruffled his hair instead as if that was planned. Draco hoped that in her dazed state she wouldn't notice his stupid impulses. She had just managed to stop herself from fainting with the remnants of her will and determination but he could see that her energy had been severely drained. She had taken the brunt of the spells from healing him to obliviating and hiding Macnair.

"Really Granger, can you not even stand correctly."

"Malfoy, I don't have the strength. Can we just find someplace to…" She started but couldn't finish as her exhaustion incapacitated her ability to form coherent sentences.

"Lucky for you I just happen to know a little place."

They walked together for a few minutes in a seemingly mindless direction the only sounds being Hermione gulping down a Pepper-up potion that she had kept knowing she would never get much sleep with the Weasleys and the eerie whistling of the trees. They began to hear the distant shouts and screams but then Draco suddenly stopped. He pointed towards what seemed like ordinary forestry but after closer inspections Hermione could see that it was a small cove. It was blanketed with branches and leaves that acted as a shield so the cave was dry and cosy and the floor was surprisingly smooth to the touch. Hermione smiled to herself as she could imagine Bilbo Baggins passing through followed by a young Frodo.

"How did you find this place?" Hermione enquired crashing into the ground in fatigue.

"I wouldn't expect a person like you to understand," Draco grunted.

"Really, after everything you still act so immature. And here I was thinking you had a few traces of brain cells in that stuck up head," Hermione said, the last part mostly to herself but Draco's keen ears could hear her perfectly. She involuntarily started to shiver but she clenched her jaw and tensed her arms to hide it. She was reminded that she was only really wearing a torn muddied nightgown with her favourite coat thrown on top.

"Here," he said ungratefully shoving a fine silver scarf in her direction.

"Thank you." Hermione said with a surprised look on her face.

"I can't sleep with your annoying chattering in the background. And may I inform you that I am extremely well educated, no thanks to the shambles you call a school run by a man barely out of the grave."

"How dare you insult Dumbledore like that?" said Hermione. She looked scandalised, Draco kept confusing her. One minute he would say something kind and then he would revert back to his usual cocky insensitive self.

"Under that long white hair hides a mind full of dirty little secrets that would shock your little pro-muggle mind."

"Well I'm personally shocked to see that you can struggle to be within the presence of a… _mudblood_ like me." Draco winced at the word.

"Yes, that is all I am to you, a _mudblood_, worthless filth. Well I'm sorry to burden you with my presence. It must be awful for you, maybe if I got on my knees and begged like those poor house elves…"

"Stop being ridiculous and calm down, we're going to be heard." Draco stammered.

"I'm sorry _master, _all you say is my command. I'm obliged to be of your service and will obey your every word."

"Stop that!"

"Oh, but that is surely what you want _master, _for all you see as inferior should act accordingly."

"No, just stop acting, it's not like I actually..." Draco immediately stopped himself before the words could come stumbling out.

"Actually what?"

"Never mind, I... I don't want to overload that overactive brain of yours," he said with false spite.

The cove fell into silence and they could both hear the screams from terrified people running for their lives in the pandemonium. Draco hated to think that his father was the cause of some of them.

"Lucius, my father likes to befriend people of power especially the Minister of Magic who has a habit of repeating long drawn out speeches. Not long after I got here I found this little place to get a bit of peace and quiet." Draco whispered, trying to fill the silence.

"I know what you mean, Harry and Ron are great but they can really get on my nerves. I usually hide in the library behind a big book."

Draco tried hard not to laugh at the image of her furrowed in the corner with Harry and Ron searching for her.

"I never realised the Golden Trio were so disjointed. Potty and Weasel must be incredibly annoying for you to spend so much time in the library."

"They're not that bad, they're my best friends. Besides I always feel at home around books."

"Yes, especially the restricted section."

"How would you know?"

"It's a miracle that more people are completely blind to the Gryffindor's princess' particularly dark choices of books lately. You've been particularly fond of the dark arts section for a while now."

"I only read that to protect myself against all that is to come."

"That is one hell of a dark future."

"You would be amazed by the amount of counter curses and protection spells there are in those books. Most of the books I read tell me not only how to defend myself against dark curses, but also how to heal those cursed wounds which could save many lives, not that you would know."

"It just so happens that I also have a particular penchant for books of similar qualities, only difference is that I tend to look more on the chapters on curses."

Hermione looked him in the eye carefully and he met her with his characteristic smirk.

"So, you're just going to take over the family business which is what exactly?"

"Have a little faith, I'm not going to become the same pitiful person as my father governed by his greed."

"Well you put on a good show."

"I said I wasn't going to become my father who obviously wasn't strong enough to withhold himself. That doesn't mean I'm going to become a guardian angel and fight for muggle rights."

"Whatever it is you want, I doubt that following Voldemort will give you what you think you want."

"Don't say his name like that." Draco said frustrated.

"What is the big deal around not saying Voldemort, it's just a name. Dumbledore always says that fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself"

"Only Dumbledore is stupid enough to go round saying his name. People don't say it because there use to be a taboo curse on the name."

"I haven't heard of that curse, what does it do?" Hermione asked shocked she hadn't known this before.

"I'm not surprised, hardly anyone knows of it. It's quite similar to a tracing spell except saying a word triggers the spell. In this case his name reveals the speakers location and it also breaks any weaker protective magical enchantments," Draco said pleased that he knew something she didn't.

"How do you know so much about dark magic? Have you been raiding your fathers private library?"

"Even if I had I wouldn't tell you Gra…"

He was interrupted by the screams. It seemed as if everyone including the death eaters had stopped to scream, run or cry hysterically.

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know; I'll go check. Just stay here till I come back."

If Hermione hadn't known any better she would have thought that Draco had sounded worried for her. No, that's ridiculous. She quickly brushed the thought away as her mind was filled with fear as well as morbid curiosity to what had made everyone scream and run in fear.

Hermione couldn't argue with Draco as even if there were Death Eaters out there they wouldn't attack him and she was too tired to volunteer to move from her comfortable position. Hermione's face was quite associated with Harry and Ron especially with people like Lucius Malfoy. Lucius, the way Draco spoke of him in contempt and disgust proved how different they were. Although Draco didn't want to admit it, she knew that he didn't like what was happening.

What was taking Draco so long? All he needed was to take a quick peak and he had already been out there for a few minutes. She tried to listen but she could here nothing but distant screams. What if Draco had gone to rat her out? No, she knew he wouldn't do that or at least she hoped. She couldn't wait for Draco so she laboriously crept out to the edge of the cave still under its protection to see what was happening.

It seemed as if everyone had abandoned the surrounding area in a mad rush for some unknown reason. She saw Draco up ahead staring pensively into the night sky.

Up where the moon usually stood was a grotesquely ominous skull, vivid green in colour, a snake entwined within it. It was the same mark that was branded on each of Voldemort's followers. The Dark Mark. Realising it was safe she stepped forward only to hear the crack of a branch that had snapped under her foot. Draco whipped his head to see who the intruder was, wand in hand ready to fight.

"It's just me."

"I thought I told you to stay inside."

"I couldn't resist, I needed to know what was the cause of such fuss but I still don't get it. Why are people so afraid of some stupid sign in the sky."

"Back in the Dark Lord's days of power that '_stupid sign_' would be a signal of murder to all who saw it. When he or any of his followers would have a bit too much fun and kill someone for any particular reason they would leave behind this little gift." He said while pointing at the sky. "It became an omen of death, people still to this day are terrified of it especially now with the comeback of the death eaters." Draco explained while Hermione openly stared, stunned into silence.

"Sorry, I didn't know. But why has the sign come back? Are the Death Eaters doing Volde… I mean _his _bidding without him?" She said taking into account Draco's warning.

"Even if I knew, what in the seven hells would convince me to confide in you."

"That is no way to speak to me. What manners did your family teach you? If that question is even applicable."

"I know my family isn't particularly conventional to you but it is to me and I wouldn't have it any other way. My father has taught me important lessons about life without sugar coating it."

"I know all about the real world but no father should use fear as the building blocks to their teachings. If your father taught you to hate then what did your mother teach you?"

"My mother is too good for my dad. I'm not sure why she stays with him, probably because of me." He said carefully avoiding the question.

"Let's get back to the cave, it's getting cold." Draco shivered

"Do you think I could get away with a heating charm?" she said while following him back into the cave.

"I never knew you were such a rule breaker."

Hermione laughed at the thought of all the rules she had broken over the years with Harry and Ron.

"I've had to become one after spending so much time with Harry and Ron."

Draco's stomach twisted at the thought of Harry and Ron, especially with them spending so much time together.

"With all this madness, the Ministry won't even notice any underage magic and even if they do we can say it was in dire circumstances and away from any dear, oblivious little muggles."

"For once, I think you may be right." As she casted a heating charm on the both of them, as well as some more protective charms around the cave once they were inside it.

"I'm always right." Draco smirked.

"Let's get some sleep while we can. It's so late I feel as if it is nearly morning." Hermione yawned.

"You sleep, I'll keep watch."

"Are you sure? Nothing will happen with all those shields I put up."

"Anyone mildly experienced could break them and besides, I don't think I could sleep at the moment."

Hermione nodded in submission as she already started to drift away into sleep as the Pepper-up potion already began to wear off.

"Why did you save me? You could have just let the curse hit me." Hermione mumbled, already half asleep.

"What do you think? I didn't want him to run off to my father telling him how I've been bickering to _Harry Potter's_ best friend."

"Fair enough, but thank you for… everything. Even though the purpose wasn't the most heroic you still helped me," she said trying to hide her disappointment.

"Anytime."

"Night Draco."

"Night Hermione." he whispered but he could tell she was already unconscious from exhaustion. Hermione, the name felt strange on his lips. It had been a long day and even Draco was starting to feel drowsy but he was use to it. It had been hard for him to sleep since _the incident _and even when he did sleep he was often plagued by vivid nightmares. He had learned to live with sleep deprivation with a few spells to restore his body as if he had slept a full night.

So much had changed over the past few hours, it was bewildering. He tried to ignore how his heart had pounded when Hermione uttered his name, his first name. It felt somehow more personal and the way Hermione had said his name, like a simple caress. He loved how his name sounded on her lips. Draco, in latin meant dragon and as presumptuous as it was he still liked his name, it was unique. So was the name Hermione.

It was strange. They had gone from being enemies to… people who called each other by their first names although that was mainly caused by exhaustion. However, it was also a side effect of being thrown together in a life or death situation both saving each other's lives in the process. They were still barely civil but something between them had changed. Something within Draco had changed.

Talking with Hermione, someone so kind, powerful and witty made it harder to believe in blood purity. Looking at Crabbe and Goyle, part of the twenty-eight prestigious pureblood families yet they were still a bunch of nitwits incapable of participating in a proper conversation. Hermione was smart, scarily smart and not just in theory. Her thirst of knowledge and determination to do way too much studying for tests and writing twice or three times too much for her homework. She was bound to get better marks than him, much to his father's dismay. Only her stupid amount of bravery had made her go to Gryffindor, otherwise she would have gone straight to Ravenclaw.

He had to admit, her magic was powerful. It had hit him like a tsunami of energy the first time he saw her wrapped up in an overenthusiastic, bossy attitude topped with dark bushy brown hair. As she had grown older her hair had began to calm down into dark curls with still a bit of her infamous frizz. When she was angry which was most of the time when he was around, her magic radiated off her, hair frizzing with an agitated energy and skin glowing with fierceness. It terrified most people but it enthralled him. Even her usual optimistic mood was annoyingly infectious with her magic always present and always some reflecting outwards.

He wondered if other wizards and witches could feel each other's magic or was it just him. It had never been mentioned in class or in textbooks but then again he had never looked. He must have been really tired or else he would have pushed these thoughts away with force but now he just let his mind wander.

Today their magic had done something very rare and practically of myth but he was determined to figure it out. No doubt that Hermione had already come up with multiple theories. Their magic did not just combined but it seemed as if their magic multiplied together. He hated to admit it but she was an incredibly powerful witch more so that he had previously thought. His magic was also very potent, he almost felt sorry for Macnair and the others.

He found himself looking at her again. Her creamy skin slightly tan from the sun, her dark lashes creating long spidery shadows on her cheeks and her peachy lips. She looked so peaceful in the moonlight. He wished it would always be this way as he wandered into the tranquility of sleep.


	5. Nolly the House-elf

**Nolly the House-elf **

_Well it's been a while hasn't it. I just had the joy of sitting all my exams so to all others who are going through exams at the moment I wish you the best of luck and do not envy you in the slightest. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks you all so much for reading my story especially those who favourited and followed. The highest of thanks goes to my dearest reviewers iheartfictionalbadguys, Seraphina25 and WelcomeToTheAsylum for putting in the effort to make a review. I hope you enjoy my OC, Nolly the House-elf. There's also a small list of spells and their definitions at the end. Now without further adieu, onto the story. _

_Previously: __She looked so peaceful in the moonlight. He wished it would always be this way as he wandered into the tranquility of sleep._

Draco woke with the sun shining bright in his eyes. Where was he again? After a moment of confusion the memories of last night flooded back to him. It had all felt like a slightly terrifying yet oddly exciting nightmare. He couldn't believe he had actually had the guts to do stand up to some Death Eaters. After being told repeatedly of his worthlessness it became harder to keep up his cocky façade. Now it seemed his self-assurance had flooded back as well as his dark sense of humour.

Taking a quick glance at his surroundings it seemed to be morning already. All he could remember was drifting to sleep which seemed only like an hour ago. He deduced that he had been too exhausted that even his usual nightmares had not plagued him throughout the night. This had been the most peaceful night of sleep he had gotten in the past couple of months. Despite his willingness to stay stationary for a while longer the rough unforgiving floor beneath him had dug into to his back making his spine ache. His neck had also bent awkwardly against his good arm making it painful to move.

Hermione however had been fully alert for a while. The moment Draco had opened his eyes she subtly averted hers to look outside. Draco had looked so… non-Draco like when he slept. It was hard to avoid the temptation to stare. Without his characteristic scowl she could almost understand what Lavender and Pavarati went on about.

"Rise and shine," she chimed.

"How long have I been asleep?" He mumbled.

"Just a few hours, maybe four or five."

"WHAT? Why didn't you wake me?" He croaked.

"You're still healing from your wounds, you need to rest in order to heal." Hermione said omitting the fact that she had been dreading this conversation and had wished to avoid it for as long as possible. He was so much easier to talk to when they were both half delirious from exhaustion.

"Lucius will be furious," he groaned.

"About what?"

She still couldn't grasp what could have changed between Draco and his father. Surely his father should be pleased to see his son alive and healthy but then she remembered the look of blatant contempt Lucius had given her when he had met her last night. She couldn't and didn't want to try and understand the mind of a bigot like him.

"He'll think I ran off like some coward, I should go to him before it's too late," he replied honestly still half asleep. Hermione then had the sudden wish to show Lucius how brave Draco had been last night. She wished she could show everyone, especially Ron and Harry. That reminded her, where would her best friends be now?

"Oh no, Ron and Harry must be so worried. Everyone will be searching for us."

Harry would probably be trying to convince Ron that she wasn't dead by now. One of Harry's greatest talents was to stay frightfully optimistic but that had its downsides. He like so many teens thought he was invincible. Hopefully he would have talked some sense into Ron but both of them would be internally blaming themselves. Poor Mr Weasley, he would also hold himself responsible as the adult of the group. She must get back to them before they did something rash.

"Everyone will be searching for you, not me," he stated casually.

"But we should quickly clean up first before going." She said knowing that none of them could see her in this state. They would ask too many questions and worry about her unnecessarily when they should be worrying about so many more important things like why the Death Eaters are back. She felt the grime on her hands and face and wished desperately to rid herself of the soil stuck between her fingers and under her nails. Suddenly the horrid thought stuck her. She wondered if this was how Draco and his father's kind thought of her. Like dirt, filth and _mud_. She pushed those thoughts aside. They would only weigh her down unnecessarily.

"Fine, but we should leave at different times or else people may get the wrong impression," he sneered.

"Is that really necessary?" She asked in disbelief.

"Of course it is; I have a reputation to uphold," he snorted.

"Fine, if that's what you really want," she said through gritted teeth.

"And Granger… about what happened last night, let's just keep it to ourselves."

"Well we can't have rumours going around that could damage your _reputation _could we," she chirped.

"Exactly, so lets just keep this little chin wag to ourselves," he reasoned while deliberately ignoring her sarcasm.

"How's your arm?" She said out of courtesy.

"Brilliant, never better. So am I allowed to remove this ghastly bandage?"

"Go right on ahead. I'm not stopping you although it would be better if you kept it on for the next couple of days."

"Not a chance, I'd rather risk it."

"It's your arm, do what ever foolish thing you wish. It's not my concern nor do I care," she declared. Draco had to admit that stung a little.

"Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he taunted.

"Why don't you stop making useless comments and actually do something so we can get out of here."

"_Sweet Salazar, _I'm an absolute mess, I can't be seen like this," he announced while looking at his dirty hands and the state of his torn clothes.

"This jacket cost a fortune," he exclaimed.

"Of course it did," she muttered while brushing off the dirt stuck to her legs. Draco then took out his wand pointing to his shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"Fixing this," he said pointing to his clothes.

"But we're not aloud to use magic unless it's a life or death situation."

"This is a life or death situation," Draco emphasised. Hermione raised an eyebrow in response to show her lack of concern.

"Relax, there are wizards and witches everywhere, they won't be able to persecute us," he said while trying to unwrap the bandage around his shoulder.

"How does this bloody thing work?" He said exasperated.

"Hear let me…" she said while reaching out.

"I can do it myself," he interrupted.

"_Porrectio," _he whispered pointing the wand to the bandage making the bandage stretch so he could slide it off. It wasn't what she would of done but she had to admit that it was a clever use of magic.

"So you did learn something from, what was it, a shambles you call a school ran by a man barely out of the grave," she said, her eyes twinkling in a very Dumbledore-like manner.

"I learned that of my own accord," he said, unwillingly remembering the time his father had left his mother bound and beaten bloody on the floor while drunk on firewhiskey. His father hadn't bothered to undo her binds the next morning and the house-elves were too scared to accidently defy their masters.

He remembered taking his mother's wand while she was unconscious and trying all the basic unlocking spells he had learned from the family library. When none of them had worked a thought came to him. If only the binds were a little looser. Then he would be able to slide them off without any problems. It was simple but it had worked. Technically he wasn't breaking the powerful dark magic but he had found a way around them. His mother had been grateful when she woke up but horrified that her son had seen her in such a state. She had ordered him to his room where he spent the rest of the day crying in confusion like a wimp.

Only later did he understand her reasoning. As a Malfoy you could not be seen as weak. You had to withstand everything without failure never showing your true self. As a disappointment to his father he had failed at this many times including last night but why did failure feel so good?

"I see no Ministry officials here about improper use of magic so I think we're safe," he jeered.

"Thanks Merlin," she exhaled. She then proceeded to _scorgify_ all her clothes and repair her torn nightgown. Luckily her clothes had remained relatively intact so it didn't take long to repair the damage.

Meanwhile Draco was getting frustrated quickly by constantly whispering _Textus Reparo _at his jacket again and again yet the one cut that could have been his neck remained no matter how much he tried.

"It cannot be repaired because it was cut by very dark magic," she said gravely.

"Well great, how am I going to explain that?"

"Just blame it on some muggles or a random hippogriff," she quipped and for a second she could swear that she saw a small smile from Draco but he quickly covered it up, as usual.

"You go first otherwise they'll think I kidnapped you."

"Alright then," she said while pushing herself off the ground. She was eager to get back to her friends and see that they were all safe but a part of her was unwilling to leave the safety of the cave. She knew that she would have to leave sooner or later and she didn't want to cause her friends any more distress.

"And remember, just between us," he warned as she walked out the cave lifting her safety enchantments.

"Just between us," she mumbled to no one in particular.

After a long while of wondering through the woods back to the main area where the tents had been, the devastation of the previous night hit her. As Draco and herself had been fighting their own battles the fields had been destroyed. Most people had already left, leaving boxes of untouched green grass in the burnt ground of where their tents had been. Some were still waiting anxiously for their portkeys to arrive. She squinted her eyes searching for any familiar faces. She saw at the far edge of the field two boys running in her direction. One was tall and lanky with vibrant red hair and the other was slightly smaller with messy dark hair.

"Hermioneeee!" They shouted in unison.

"Ron! Harry!" She shouted in glee running towards them.

"Hermione, thank god you're alive." Harry said relieved as they all held each other in a tight hug.

"Yeah, we thought we had lost you for good." Ron said struggling to regain his breath.

"I know, I'm so sorry. I tried to wait for you guys but I ran into a bit of trouble," she said taking a step back to breathe.

"What happened, are you hurt anywhere?" Ron asked.

"No, it's nothing. I just had to hide out for a while when things got a bit rough. But what about you, how did you find each other?"

"We found each other pretty easily. The red hair is hard to miss but Ron was way closer to us than I'd thought. If only I hadn't been so stupid."

"You were stupid? It was me who tripped over a bloody tree-root Harry."

"Boys, I'm just so happy that we're all okay."

"Blimey Hermione but you won't believe what happened when you were away," said Harry as they started walking back to their tent.

They both animatedly told her of hearing a deep voice shouting _Morsmordre _and seeing the Dark Mark form in the sky, then being accused by Barty Crouch for conjuring the Dark Mark and finally of Winky and how she had wept and begged Crouch not to set her free as she had betrayed her master by not letting herself die in a tent as she had been told to stay not accounting for the possibility of a Death Eater attack. The last part sparked Hermione's anger as she cursed and accused all house-elf owners of being inhumane, barbaric and complete idiots.

"Good Godric, it's already started to get a bloody chilly," Ron joked trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, aren't you cold Hermione?"

"No, I'm fine I've got my jacket and this scarf," she said as the realisation dawned upon her. She had completely forgotten to give Draco his scarf back. When would she ever get the opportunity to give it back? He would never accept it in front of his cronies and he never seemed to part with them. She could try to pass it on through friends but that could start a whirlwind of gossip. She was tempted to keep it as it felt ridiculously soft and warm. It also smelled intoxicatingly good like smoke from a campfire, cinnamon and the overwhelming smell of nature in a forest. It reminded her of camping with her parents in her favourite place, the Forest of Dean. She wondered what Draco was doing now. He could be at home by now in his luxury mansion with his parents.

She shouldn't be focusing of him right now. She was safe with her best friends. If Harry and Ron could read her thoughts at the moment… she dreaded to see their reactions. Ron would go bonkers and Harry would never be able to look at her the same again. Last night had given her a new perspective on Draco and her two best friends wouldn't be able to understand that as they hadn't experienced it for themselves. As much as the guilt gnawed at her conscience she knew that at the moment it was best to keep the events of last night a secret. Especially considering all the chaos that they had gone through recently yet still not fully processed yet. 'No, it would be too much to deal with at the moment,' Hermione thought, although she felt like she was making excuses for herself.

They finally managed to make it back to the tent with the now very relieved Mr Weasley, Ginny and the twins who still found ways to lighten the mood with their slapstick jokes and terrible puns. Since they had been delayed for a while with Harry and Ron running off without permission to find Hermione early that morning, the queue for portkeys wasn't so long. After a minute of being violently tossed by a soggy dictionary they landed, or more like fell, close to the Burrow. Stomachs confused on whether to be famished from nothing to eat in hours or sick from their journey they walked round the corner to see a very distressed Mrs Weasley.

Oh, thanks goodness, thank goodness!" Mrs Weasley cried as they came into sight.

Granger must have been gone for a while but it was hard to tell time in this cave. He waited making sure he looked impeccable and untouched so his father wouldn't interrogate him. Lucius would have gone back to Malfoy Manor by now. He wouldn't have bother to wait on him but his mother... Draco hoped she hadn't pushed him too far. He needed to come up with a convincing backstory just in case his father decided to take a sudden an unexpected interest in him. He would tell him exactly what he wanted to believe to keep up the pretenses that he was just an idiotic coward for a son.

"Nolly." Draco called. She was the most trustworthy house-elf Draco knew. Her whole family traced back through the Black family and had been part of his mother's generous dowry. Nolly had a kind heart and had nursed him as a child telling him the tales of great literary heroes. She was no ordinary house-elf; she secretly had an obsession with books. She had read every book she could find and was one of the smartest house-elves around but she kept it to herself.

As a young child, Draco had caught her reading one of his storybooks. She had been terrified at first, begging for his forgiveness but he had told her that they could read it together and nobody else would know. One of the few freedoms house-elves had was if two orders conflicted, they could choose the order which benefited their masters most. When the other option was a man like Lucius the choice was easy. She must help her Master Draco. Her loyalty lied with the Black family still and Draco had Black blood running through him despite his last name.

They had grown fond of each other over the years and she had taught him his love for epic novels. Draco suspected his mother had somehow got the knowledge of this as she assigned Nolly to teach Draco how to read properly and the proper etiquette expected of a Malfoy. Lucius was none the wiser as he assumed that the monotony of teaching children was below his wife and Nolly was a suitable teacher, never doubting her allegiance.

Later her tasks with Draco became less frequent as he grew older and more independent. They had drifted slightly as he had tried to emulate his father in every way including his views. She had not complained but he could see her initial look of disappointment when he had ordered her away in a derogatory manner for the first time as his father did. Lucius had looked proud of him so he kept doing it.

Nolly had thought that maybe if she told Draco stories featuring non-human magical beings and muggles as the heroes she could steer Draco away from ignorance at a young age. Little did Draco know that the characters he had adored as a child such as Macbeth, Elizabeth Bennet and Scrooge had been completely muggle. Draco had not thought about these stories in years but if reminded he recalled them in great detail. However, for the past few years she had stopped trying to shape Draco's views as he always sent her away if she tried. Ultimately, she preferred to be around him in silence that to be sent away.

After a minute of impatience, an exhausted Nolly popped into the cave.

"Master Draco?"

"Nolly, what took you so long?"

"I came as soon as I could sir. Mistress Narcissa has been ever so worried."

"Are you able to fix this jacket?" He said handing it to her.

"This is very dark magic sir. What created this cut sir?"

"Nothing that concerns you. So can you fix it?" He asked brusquely.

"Of course sir. Right away sir," she said. She pressed her hand to the tear and the stitches began to knit back together. Draco started to stand up, awkwardly crouching, as the cave was not tall enough.

"Here sir. It is fixed."

"Good, now lets pretend that never happened," he said as a warning with a look in his eye that said _don't tell my parents. _

"Take me home," he said sliding on his jacket.

"Yes sir," she said taking a hold of his hand.

They apparated into the living room where his mother sat with a cup of tea reading an old book while his father sat calmly reading the Daily Prophet. _SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP _was featured on the front page as well as a black and white photo of the Dark Mark slithering in the sky. His mother was the first to notice him, her red-rimmed eyes went wide with shock and she audibly sighed in relief. Her teacup had shook slightly but she expertly contained her overwhelming emotions and carefully placed the cup down without spilling it.

"Draco, how nice of you to join us," said Lucius with disdain. Draco smiled back in a calculated manner bowing slightly and proceeded to sit in a chair opposite his father.

"Nolly, a cup of tea for me," said Draco.

"Right away, sir," she said returning in only a few moments with a perfect cup of tea.

"Mind telling us where you have been gallivanting last night?" Lucius said icily.

"Of course father, the veela girls were such riveting company. I couldn't bare to part with them," Draco said grinning.

"Yes, they are quite wonderful creatures to look at. I myself have greatly enjoyed their company but a Malfoy cannot get too involved with animal filth. Do you understand boy?" The last thing Draco wanted to do was to imagine how his father had enjoyed the company of the veela.

"Yes, but they were great entertainment during the dreary night. I could not sleep with all the noise."

"You will learn to enjoy that noise, while sometimes unpleasant as a sound, it is a wonderful reminder of who holds the power," he reprimanded.

"That reminds me, I've got to look over my transfigurations essay. I hate to end this conversation but I must attend to it." Draco said while getting up to leave.

"Please do, it is such a great embarrassment and disappointment to the family name to be beaten by a mudblood. Do see to it that you do better than her this year. Put her back in her rightful place. Oh and why don't you stay in your room studying till Hogwarts, you'll need the time," he said with a perfectly learned fake smile.

You'd have to be an idiot not to realise that Draco was grounded but considering what he had done it was a very light treatment. He could get Nolly to sneak him some food as usual and he had plenty of books to keep him company. To be honest he had expecting much worse but it seemed that last night's activities had left his father in a good mood.

Draco's stomach had twisted as his father mentioned Hermione but Draco instead gave a courteous nod and left the room. He didn't quite understand it. He had always insulted muggle-borns without flinching but for the past couple of months his nights were full of terrors slowly making him see the faults in his beliefs. Last night was testament to how he had changed.

Draco's father had, in a moment of idiocy, underestimated the strength of Draco's moral convictions of which his father had thought he had slowly stamped out of Draco throughout his childhood. Allowing Draco to witness their… work had started a chain reaction. If these doubts were given the right conditions to flourish they could turn Draco against all he had believed in. But Draco was still lying to himself, denying how different he could become, as he was terrified at the possibility of a huge part of his understandings of the world being a monumental lie.

Nolly that morning had started to regain a glimpse of hope. She could read human emotions with ease. It came naturally to all house-elves as they had adapted to best serve their masters in accordance to their moods. She had felt Draco's mood deteriorate over the summer without knowing why as she was only a house-elf but she had her suspicions. She could do nothing to help him, as he would never allow her. She only wanted to please Master Draco and make him happy again. But this morning she had felt Master Draco's magic recoil in anger at his father's last derogatory words. Maybe whatever had caused him to react that way could redeem Master Draco and make him happy again as she knew the path along the Dark Arts was never a happy one.

Spells

_Porrectio – to stretch an object._

_Scorgify – to clean an item._

_Textus Reparo – to repair clothes and fabric._

_Morsmordre – to cast the Dark Mark_


	6. The Thestrals

**The Thestrals**

A/N: Hello my wonderful readers. In the midst of going on holiday I have written this new chapter. I must say that it was one of the hardest to get started as it felt really weird going from writing intense scenes to holiday time and school. Thanks you to all those who favourited and followed and a huge thank you to my reviewers 9linn8, Inactive36, DramioneAddiction and WelcomeToTheAsylum. Your reviews really help motivate me to keep going and they never fail to cheer me up. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

* * *

"Hermione, you alright?" Ron asked as she stared pensively into the distance, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Yes, sorry, I was just caught up in my own thoughts again."

"Course you were. Anyway me, Harry and the lot are going to play some Quidditch. Do you want to join?" He asked knowing that she probably wouldn't.

"I've just got to finish this Arithmacy book first but I might come and watch later."

"Blimey, I don't know how you do read so much. My brain just hurts thinking about it."

"It's fascinating stuff Ron, I can't help myself."

"And that is why you'll do bloody brilliant in your O.W.L.'s. Anyway, I've got to go. I don't want them to make me the umpire again. See you."

"Be careful." Hermione reminded him. Ron smiled back to reassure her before running off to the garden.

On the days leading up to school Harry and Ron could tell that Hermione was a bit off. Her constant nagging to study had diminished and she appeared more pensive than usual often zoning out of the constant Weasley chatter. They just thought she was a bit shaken from the events at Quidditch World Cup and expected that she would get over it soon enough. They were more right than Hermione would admit.

Ever since that frightful night at the Quidditch World Cup her mind was brimming with questions. Should she tell Ron and Harry what had happened despite Draco's request? How would they react? Should she have erased those Death Eaters memories or was there some better way? Had Draco really changed or was it all an act? What had caused their magic to combine? How would she act around him in school? It was so unlike her mind to be chaotic and unfocused.

She missed her home now more then ever. There was always space to think things through. That was one of the main reasons that she spent so much time in the library. It was one of the few places in Hogwarts that could be considered serene. In the Burrow she accepted that she wasn't going to get any quiet until the late hours of the night when everyone was fast asleep. Even then, Ron's snores had a way of penetrating through the walls. At first she tried reading ahead of the syllabus but found that after a while, her mind wandered back to the Quidditch World Cup. By the time she had settled into a routine of studying, eating and socialising it was already time to go to Kings Cross Station.

The trip was more hectic than she had expected but she made extra effort to fully participate in the conversation not allowing herself to tune out. On the way, the older members of the Weasley family kept hinting at some huge event that would happen at Hogwarts soon. It was difficult not to let her curiosity take control as Ron was getting increasingly frustrated. They soon rushed into the train to find an empty compartment.

As they got comfortable Hermione was trying to cover her nerves about the first day, already worrying about her many subjects. Following her mothers advice she breathed slowly and steadily to try to calm her frenzied mind. Letting her breath drown out her thoughts, she slowly began to feel hyper-aware of her body as a very light tingle spread throughout her body. Starting from her core, it permeated outwards causing the small hairs at the nape of neck to rise. Feeling vaguely drawn to the corridor she looked out only to find Draco and his cronies. His voice echoing throughout the train put an abrupt end to the feeling.

"Shh!" she hushed urgently interrupting Ron's ramblings. She pointed out the compartment across to the corridor to where Draco was talking.

"…Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the Headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore – the man's such a-a mudblood-lover - and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riff-raff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to school so far away. Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defence rubbish we do…"

Hermione felt her insecurity well up at Draco's insensitive words. She had learned to usually brush them off but his small comment on Dumbledore roused her anger. Throughout the years she had mastered hiding her insecurities putting on an act of unwavering self-confidence. Not even her two best friends could see past it but Draco often had a way of pointing out her worst fears. In order to avoid any confrontation she quietly tiptoed to the door and gently closed it.

Meanwhile, as Draco entertained Crabbe and Goyle with details of Durmstrang, for no particular reason, an imperceptible feeling of annoyance tinged his senses. As he tried to concentrate on the sensation it drifted further away in a haze. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared so he quickly overlooked the fleeting sensation and focused on the conversation at hand.

As the sky got darker the conversation got even duller. To save his sanity, he bought an excessive amount of sweets for them to stuff their mouths with. It was almost as effective as silencing charms. The moment of peace unfortunately didn't last long so he started discussing the upcoming Triwizard Tournament to pass the time. In truth, he saw the Tournament as an opportunity to finally prove himself. He was exceptional in all his classes only ever beaten by one annoying muggle-born witch but there was a nagging fear that he wouldn't be chosen which would be a huge embarrassment. His father would be furious.

The sound of bustling Gryffindors was a welcome distraction that he had been waiting for. Wasting no time, he got up to enjoy his most treasured pastime. Winding up the Gryffindors. He gleefully swaggered into their compartment interrupting his least favourite ginger. While savouring about their cluelessness his eyes kept being unwillingly drawn to Hermione who was tucked safely behind a book, completely ignoring him_. _

He left laughing hearing a loud shatter of glass as he got back to their compartment. Winding up Weasley was always uplifting but it had left a bittersweet taste in his mouth as Hermione had refused to even acknowledge his presence.

By the time they got to Hogwarts the weather was even more miserable. It was cold, damp and the rain was merciless. Draco subtlety cast a warming charm as they walked through the gates to the horseless carriages.

As Crabbe and Goyle eagerly went ahead shoving past the younger students, Draco the rain Draco for the first time saw black, fleshless creatures in front of the carriages. They looked like horses that had been rotting away for years. Their bones were stark against their leathery skin, large ominous wigs sprouted from their backs and their heads resembled a dragon's. The creature he was staring at seemed to notice him, turning it's head to look at him with blindingly white pupil-less eyes. It's gaze unnerved him deeply as if could it see through his eyes into his soul.

"What are you gawking at?" Blaise jeered while heavily patting Draco on the back.

"Lovely to see you as always." Draco said with false sweetness patting Blaise back even harder.

At the edge of his vision Draco saw Theodore Nott looking at him curiously, eyes flicking from him to the creature and then back. Draco nonchalantly looked around and it seemed as if no one else had noticed the creature but them. He would have to find a way to slyly ask Theo without coming across as mad. Slytherins never took well to anything out the ordinary. Unbeknownst to Draco, Hermione had also noticed Draco tense up but quickly reminded herself that she should keep trying to avoid him until she figured out how to deal with him.

The welcoming feast was a bore. The only entertainment for Draco was the look on everyone else's faces as the Triwizard Tournament was announced. Looking over at the Gryffindor's table was always a laugh but he couldn't resist finding Hermione. She, unlike the rest of the hall looked worried. So much for Gryffindor bravery. Weasley on the other hand was still drenched, courtesy of Peeves.

"The Weasel would be desperate for the money but without the ability to cast a simple drying charm there is little chance of that happening," he drawled.

His snarky comments always got a snicker from his fellow Slytherins but Pansy always laughed a little too much for comfort.

When Dumbledore announced the age restriction everyone was even more shocked. Wiping the smug look of his face he joined in with the other Slytherins angered by the restriction. They blamed the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors for ruining it as they were the ones who needed the restrictions, not them.

Soon enough they were sent along to walk back to the dungeons. Spotting Theo walking alone at the back of the group, he decided that this would be the best opportunity he might get for a while to talk to him in a somewhat private setting as the annoying second and third years were making enough racket to drown out other conversations.

"So, Theo. Enjoying the festivities?"

"Very much actually," he answered uneasily.

"They were supposed to redecorate some of the worst parts of the school for the tournament which will be a huge relief but it's completely unnecessary to cancel Quidditch."

"Well, even without Quidditch it's certainly going to be an exciting year."

"Yes, school is going to be rather different this year. Hopefully Potty and his disciples won't ruin it. They always do."

"Jealous are you?" Theo smirked.

"Of a scarred, orphaned half-blood and his delusional worshipers. I'd have to be a complete imbecile for that," Draco exclaimed bitterly.

"Course you would," he muttered as they got to the Slytherin Common Room entrance that looked just like another damp stone wall. A smug prefect ahead who was bragging to the first years proudly announced the password _Ashwinder, _finally allowing them to get some needed warmth.

"Anyway, noticed any differences already? The old man must have something up his sleeve for this year," he said nonchalantly as they walked into the common room.

"Nothing of note. Why? Have you?" He said knowingly.

"Nothing in particular…"

"Really, well then I'll be turning in now," he said climbing the steps to the fourth year boys dormitory.

"There was something that caught my eye," he said slyly.

"Oh really. And what might that be?"

"It's just that… well… the carriages… they..." he hesitated.

"Is Draco Malfoy struggling for words? This must be good," he jeered.

"Stop mocking me. I know that you could see them to." Draco challenged under his breath.

"Them?"

"Those… creatures."

"You have had an interesting summer, haven't you." He said grimly.

"Stop trying to change the subject. Just tell me what you know about those things," he demanded.

"Alright, alright. No need to get your knickers in a twist. Those creatures are Thestrals and they've always pulled the carriages, it's only now that you can see them. That's just about all I know. If you want, you could probably find out more in the library."

"Theo, how is it that you somehow manage to answer my question yet still I feel completely dissatisfied."

"It's one of my many talents. Night."

"Night, you bastard," he muttered under his breath.

* * *

Draco woke abruptly covered in a sheen of cold sweat, his heart thudding in his chest and his breath ragged. Past memories fought its way past into his thoughts but he fought back harder pushing them back to the far recesses of his brain. It was far too early to get up but he knew that the last thing he wanted to do was to go back to sleep and allow his subconscious to dredge out whatever horrors it could find. After pouring over _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _twice from cover to cover, which only mentioned Thestrals under the broad heading of Winged Horses, he had fallen asleep very late. He picked the worn book from the bedside table to reread the few lines of useless script he had found just to make sure it wasn't all a dream.

_The rare Thestral (black, possessed of the power of invisibility and considered unlucky by many wizards)._

The dimwit who wrote the book obviously cared more about flobberworms than anything remotely intriguing like Thestrals.

"To the library," he thought but first he was in dire need of a hot shower. Maybe that could calm him down.

He pulled back the heavy dark-green curtains decorated with silver embroidery around his canopy bed. They were charmed generously with silencing and warding charms saving his sanity from Crabbe's snoring and his classmates' nosiness. No one could get in unless he permitted it, which he had never allowed so far as it had become his sanctuary over the years. To an outsider it may seem dark and cold but to him it was quiet, peaceful and comfortable which were rare commodities at Hogwarts. It was a small piece of the luxury he could hold onto as he adjusted to life away from the mansion where silence and opulent space was the norm.

After a long leisurely shower Draco went to the deepest recesses of the library where the most obscure books were kept searching for answers only to find the one person he had been eager to avoid while still feeling groggy. Only Hermione Granger would see fit to be in the library before seven in the morning. As expected, she was hidden behind a stack of books_._

"Feeling a bit out of your depth? Always needing to study in excess in order to keep up appearances."

"Malfoy, what are you doing at this time in the morning?" She said tensely.

"I could ask the same thing about you."

"Research, what else?"

"On what?"

"See for yourself," she remarked.

Looking over her shoulder he saw the books _Binding Magical Rituals of the Ages_ and _Strangest Magical Casting Accidents in Recorded History _laid out beside her while _Ways to Strengthen Thyself and Thy Magic in order to Cast More Powerful Spells _was still gripped in her hands_._

"This seems to be a rather random assortment."

"Use your brain for once. _Binding Magic_ that's _Accidental _and very _Powerful."_

Even while half asleep he mind finally made the connection. She was researching how their magic had mixed that night fighting the Death Eaters.

"Oh, I thought we were going to forget about that."

"Well I can't just go on with the rest of my life never knowing the explanation of what happened to our magic, even if it's only a one time thing."

"If? So it could happen again?"

"Since when were you interested in what I had to say?"

"Since? You dream big Granger. I'm only interested in those books you have there. Found anything?"

"Nothing of relevance."

"If you ever do, you can always owl me," he said with a wink. Draco felt Hermione's outrage flare out which made Draco's smirk even wider.

"There is one way to find out right now," she snapped.

"That seems a bit too optimistic, even coming from you."

"I was just thinking that maybe we could… oh forget it. It was a stupid idea," she huffed.

"I'm the one that gets to decide if its stupid or not."

"Well, the only proper way to find out what happened is by firstly trying to recreate it ourselves in a controlled, non-threatening environment to get a better idea of what to look for."

"For once, I think you're right about something."

"So you think we should try it?"

"No, it's a stupid idea. I thought you were meant to be the clever one."

"Ugh, I knew you were too immature to even try and be civil. Why don't you just leave now so we don't ever have to speak to each other again?"

"That will be awfully hard on your end but I'd love to see you try," he taunted.

"Unlike you Malfoy, I have real friends that I can talk to so I won't be missing much."

"However, we agreed to keep that night to ourselves."

"If you had been smart enough, you would have noticed that I never actually agreed to anything."

"Granger, I'm warning you."

"Oh my, I'm terrified. Now can you get out of my way so I can leave?" She said caustically while gathering her books. Draco still stood his ground, his anger palpable.

"Well fine, if you insist," she fumed then quickly slipped past him by force but Draco couldn't let her go without knowing his secret was safe. His seeker reflexes kicked in and he grabbed her wrist without thinking.

In that moment, the nerves on his palm ignited and spread like wildfire up his arm to the rest of his body. He felt alive with energy as they stood there in shock looking at where their bodies met trying to comprehend what they could feel.

"Got off me now," Hermione snarled, each word harshly articulated.

"Not until you agree to keep that night a secret," Draco answered with equal menace, glaring down into her eyes.

She boldly looked up to meet his gaze. They fed on each other's temper in furious cycle till they were both consumed with intense rage. It radiated throughout the library causing Madame Pince to part from the Daily Prophet for a moment in confusion. It was then that Draco noticed how close they had become with their noses nearly touching. He knew he should have been repulsed by her blood-status but instead felt confused and enraged all at the same time. Hermione noticed his slight hesitation and ripped her wrist out of his grip quickly stepping back.

"Stay away from me or else I won't be able to keep my mouth shut any longer," she warned.

"You wouldn't dare," he growled taking a step toward her.

"Oh yes I would. You forget that you're talking to a Gryffindor." Hermione declared proudly stepping even closer in defiance.

Her brown eyes bore into his challenging him. All her thoughts were practically written on her face. He knew that if he pushed her too far in this moment she wouldn't hesitate in telling her friends, which scared him more than he would ever admit. He knew that afterwards she would feel guilty about it knowing that it would put him in a very precarious position even though he had brought it on himself.

He felt himself drowning in the emotions written in her face until her eyes widened in realisation. She pulled away like she had been burned by his gaze, repelled by a horrid notion and stormed out the library leaving Draco standing alone gobsmacked.

She had power over him. That terrible night had left him vulnerable. Looking around at the shelves around him he realised that during their argument they had somehow left books, torn pages and spare parchment scattered across the floor and desks around them. He reluctantly muttered a few tidying charms before Madame Pince got word and then immediately charged out the library. He knew wouldn't be able to focus on anything in this state so Thestrals would have to wait.

* * *

Hermione had successfully avoided Draco all morning, even in Care of Magical Creatures when he had tempted her to shut him up in any way possible. Just hearing his voice triggered memories she wished to avoid.

At lunch she ate hastily to get some time in the library much to Ron's dismay. On top of doing research on house-elves and their inexcusable slavery throughout wizarding history she was also looking into her connection with Draco. It perplexed her.

She remembered when she first got to go to Hogwarts. She had been a nervous wreck but more exited then anything. To hide her nerves she put on an over-confident persona, which she had later realised was not good for making friends. After her emotions had settled she began to feel slightly aware of the magic that encompassed her was akin to the energy of life she could instinctually sense while deep in the wilderness. Hogwarts itself seemed imbued with strong ancient magic but that had been mostly drowned out by Draco's magic. He had awakened her senses.

As she grew use to the school the awareness faded. She had described it to her parents years ago like growing use to a potent smell in a room till you couldn't smell it anymore. Every time she shifted from a completely muggle environment back to a magical one she became hyper-aware again of the sensations of magic. It was one of her favourite parts of going back to Hogwarts.

The night with the Death Eaters had changed everything. Before the sense of his magic had been hazy at best and only in extreme cases. Now when he was close, she could start to feel past the mask he expertly wore.

This morning when she had stared into his stormy eyes, his usually imperceptible thoughts had seemed so obvious to her as his mind became like an open book for her to read. Each raise of the eyebrow, narrowing of the eye and movement of his mouth made too much sense. His minute movements painted a picture of his thoughts and feelings in her mind like they were her own. As soon as she had the realisation that it might also go both ways, it had become too much for her to handle. She pulled away, urgently in need for some space to think and then swore to ignore him for all eternity. However it seemed that fate was against her as eternity only lasted until that afternoon in Double Arithmacy.

* * *

A/N: Lately the few Americanised spellings in my story have really got on my nerves as Word has a habit of either automatically spell checking them without me noticing or underlining them red until I succumb to self-doubt and allow it to be spelled differently. I've now tried to correct some of these mistakes and along the way I couldn't help but change a few words here and there and add line breaks when needed to improve the overall story. Nothing major, just a few little touches


	7. Protection

**Protection**

A.N. Another chapter and things are really starting to get moving. A huge thanks to the lovely people who favourite, follow and review. Thank you to _that ginger panda_ and _carick of hunter moon_ for your delightful comments. Now onto the next chapter!

* * *

_Previously: __However it seemed that fate was against her as eternity only lasted until that afternoon in Double Arithmacy._

The bell rang interrupting Hermione's racing thoughts. Immersed in her research she forgot to leave the library ten minutes early in order to get to class on time. Quickly packing her bag she hurried to the Arithmacy classroom praying that the school would let her get there as swiftly as possible. She hated nothing more than being late for class. Climbing up the staircases was often tricky as they could change course without warning but it seemed to Hermione that luck was on her side as the stairs led directly to the Arithmacy tower without any hassle.

She arrived just on time, albeit slightly out of breath but everyone had already found a seat. Apart from her and Draco, the small round classroom was filled with Ravenclaws most of which she knew. In every direction were large arched windows that allowed you to see the entire school grounds and a small winding staircase lead to the turret for stargazing. The view took her breath away every time she came to class. Taking a moment to search around the room she saw that the only seat available was next to Draco at the back of the class.

Inwardly groaning she reluctantly took the seat only to have Draco completely ignore her presence. At least he wasn't trying to start an argument again. Trying to avoid the stares and hushed whispers from their classmates gossiping about how the two biggest enemies in their year had to pair up, she got her things prepared. Luckily Professor Vector promptly swept in saving her from further embarrassment.

"Welcome fourth-years to the most under-appreciated magical practice, Arithmacy. In this subject you can expect to continue the pursuit of the Science of Prediction and Invention. You will finally begin to understand the mathematical components of spells and learn the true power of numbers…" She started enthusiastically.

Hermione took careful notes as the Professor outlined the course for the year while Draco sat playing with his quill as if he was trying to annoy her. She tried hopelessly at concentrating on Professor Vector's speech but found her thoughts drifting more than usual. Looking back to her left wrist she could feel the imprint his fingers had left on her skin. His touch had burned like fire on ice. Hopefully it wouldn't bruise. She remembered his stormy gaze, full of anger and fear. His thoughts consuming her, his energy, the fuel to her fire. Her fear that he could feel the same and sense her niggling insecurity was the one thing that had saved her from staying in that library for an eternity of anguish. The more she thought about his words, the angrier she felt so she tried again determined to listen to the Professor's speech.

"…You will also have a research assignment which will be a major part of your overall grade. In this you will be able to choose an aspect of Arithmacy and later write up your findings. You may write about an interesting correlation you have found, test a hypothesis or anything else you can think of but we will discuss all that in a later lesson. You won't truly start research until after the Christmas holiday. Until then you can think up a few aspects of the course you may wish to research. Before the holidays I will talk with each of you to ensure you're on the right path. If your assignment is good enough, it can provide a strong basis for the assignment component in your O.W.L.'s but that's enough from me. To allow you to get to know your partner, I have prepared a fun questionnaire for you to complete. I want us all to work well together this year so we need to get to know each other first."

The speech had succeeded in settling her down giving Hermione a focus. Her mind was now buzzing with ideas for a possible assignment so the last thing she wanted to do was talk to Draco. She had only settled down her emotions. Couldn't the Professor sense the hostility between them?

"It looks like this is mandatory, so what do you say? Ready to give it a shot?" He said with mock enthusiasm. It was as if he had completely forgotten about their earlier argument. She certainly hadn't.

Hermione knew he was as reluctant to do this as she was so only nodded in response questioning what the Universe had against them.

"The one time you actually shut up," he muttered to himself.

"So, what is your partner's favourite number? Are you kidding me? This is more important than actual classwork?" He scoffed.

"Nine, you?" She clipped trying to settle her residual anger from their previous discussion.

"She speaks, and here I thought I would be doing this thing all by myself. Why nine? Could it be because it's strongly associated with dragons in Chinese cultures? Which is, by the way, the symbol of magic and power," he taunted.

"Since when did you know about muggle cultures?" She snapped.

"It's also magical. Did you think that one day a muggle just happened to think up a perfect image of a dragon and draw it?" He quipped.

"Of course not. It's just… nevermind."

"What?"

"Can you answer the question or will I have to make this up all by myself?" She huffed.

"That all depends on you," he said looking directly into her eyes in amusement.

"On me? Alright then but don't blame me when Professor Vector asks about your great admiration of the noble blast-ended screwts."

"I'm shocked, I never knew you to be so cruel."

"The answer please?"

"Am I supposed to have one? I've never been partial to any number in particular."

"Non-applicable it is," she said grimly.

"Fine with me. Next question. Where was your partner's favourite holiday?"

"Um, well. Perhaps The Forest of Dean," she hesitated.

"The Forest of what?"

"Dean. You wouldn't know it. It's a muggle place," She said smiling to herself at the fond memories she had of the place.

"A forest. Really? Never thought of you as the camping sort. I would have put you as more of a museum and culture fanatic."

"That's great too but…"

"But what?" Draco asked his curiosity bubbling over which unwittingly compelling Hermione to open up.

"There's something about the wilderness that draws me in. I guess it's the closest I could get to magic," she beamed.

"Are we talking about the same type of magic because dirt and sludge never felt very magical to me?"

"It's not that, it's the wildlife. Deep in the forest you can almost feel the pulse of life thrumming in the Earth, like magic," she defended then looked at Draco only to realise how embarrassing her answer was. She was meant to be annoyed with him, not gushing about her most intimate thoughts and feelings.

"Alright then. My mother comes from a very prestigious and rich family/ One of her distant relatives has a house on the border between France and Italy. It's quite exquisite," he boasted.

"Sounds lovely. Oh, this one's a bit more interesting. What is the most dangerous thing your partner has done?" Looking over to Draco in anticipation she felt a chocking sense of dread and horror cloying her senses. Draco's face paled considerably making his skin a scary shade of translucent white. He turned away and in an instant she felt closed off. In the next moment he looked back to her as his usual cocky self with a self-assured smirk on his face. It almost seemed like she had imagined the whole thing.

"Class, time to pack up. No homework tonight but feel free to keep those sheets I gave you. You never know when they might come in handy." Professor Vector said with a wink that seemed directed straight at Draco.

As soon as the bell rang, Hermione fled from class as fast as she could to catch up to Ron and Harry. Thinking she had escaped from Draco she let out a small breath of relief. Unfortunately, Draco was in a particularly foul mood so decided to take it out on his favourite victim.

"Weasley! Hey Weasley!"

"What?"

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" He mocked pulling out the Daily Prophet from his robe.

"Listen to this." He sneered and proceeded to read the article with great enthusiasm for all the Entrance Hall to hear. It was a dreary article on the Quidditch world cup, which failed to mention the most crucial point. The Death Eaters. According to the article, the issue was crowd control. They couldn't even get the names right calling Ron's father Arnold instead of Arthur. Even Draco knew that and he hardly paid attention.

"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley, it's almost as if he's a complete nonentity, isn't it? He jeered.

The article then shifted to an even less important person. Mad-Eye Moody. His father had told him to be careful around him. Despite Moody's crippling paranoia he was still deadly.

"And there's a picture, Weasley! A picture of your parents outside your house - if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?" He spurred on, encouraged by Ron's reddening face.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy. C'mon, Ron…" Harry said.

"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter? So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"

You know your mother, Malfoy? That expression she's got, like she's got dung under your nose? Has she always looks like that, or was it just because you were with her?" Harry retorted.

As soon as Draco's mother was mentioned, everything changed. Draco's face went dark, his jaw tightened as his nostrils flared in fury and his eyes froze like blocks of ice. Draco's outrage was palpable to everyone in the hall but no one would admit how scared they were of him in that moment, especially Hermione who felt his anger fuel her own. The pair of Draco and Hermione on opposing sides made a terrifying sight.

"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter." Draco spat, venom coating each syllable.

"Keep your fat mouth shut, then." Harry said, trying to keep his voice steady but a slight hesitation gave away his insecurity. Harry hadn't expected that Draco could care so much about anyone.

Draco and Harry stood there for a moment until Harry couldn't take the tension anymore and turned away. Draco was furious. How dare Harry turn away from him? He instinctively withdrew his wand without thinking in his mad hatred wanting revenge in some sense.

Out of the corner of Hermione's eye, she could see Professor Moody limping down the steps. Instead of feeling the relief she should have at the hope of achieving some order, a feeling of panic nagged her senses. Something was very wrong about him. She could feel his ill intent; smell it like a mother could sense her child in danger.

"OH NO YOU DON'T LADDIE!" Professor Moody shouted as he raised his wand.

He cast a non-verbal spell at Draco that flashed towards him. Moments before it was about to hit Draco, the spell was met by another. They exploded on contact in a bang as a bright white flash blinded Hermione momentarily. The sound rang in her ears as she tried to blink away the tears forming in her eyes. She could see an echo of the light still, like a permanent shadow where the spells had met which moved as she looked around. Everyone turned and stared directly at her. They must have assumed she had cast the counter-spell as the Gryffindors glared at her as if she had betrayed them. But it couldn't have been her, could it?

"What have you done, young lassie?" Growled Moody walking towards her with an exaggerated limp with his arm still tensed up, directed at Draco head.

"Sorry professor but this is just a huge misunderstanding." Hermione yelped.

"I don't like people who attack when their opponents backs turned." Snarled Moody edging ever closer to Hermione.

"Honestly, I didn't do anything professor…" Hermione said, pleading that the Professor would see sense.

"Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do…" Moody continued, looking at Malfoy with his glass eye.

"Which is why Miss Granger I have to teach him a lesson." Moody grunted.

"I understand sir but…"

"No, I don't think you do. Not one bit." He warned.

"Professor Moody," called an alarmed and confused Professor McGonagall.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall." Moody answered calmly.

"What - what are you doing?" She gasped seeing Professors wand ready to strike Draco at any moment.

"I was trying to teach this boy a lesson before I was so rudely interrupted."

" Teach how? Moody, we never use magic against the students as punishment. Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that," she cawed.

"He might've mentioned it, yeah. But I thought a little Transfigurations wouldn't…"

"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of house!" she screeched.

"I'll do that, then," he said gruffly.

"Well, I know your father of old, boy... you tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son... you tell him that from me... now, your Head of house'll be Snape, will it?"

"Yes," Draco said disdainfully.

"Another old friend, I've been looking forward to a chat with the old Snape… come on, you…" Moody growled and yanked Draco's arm with too much force as if he enjoyed Draco's pain.

"And Miss Granger, don't think I'll forget our little chat," he gnarled and proceeded to drag Draco to the dungeons.

Draco knew that somehow Harry would pay for this, sooner or later.

* * *

"Hermione, how could you do that?" Ron stormed as they sat down to eat.

"Oh Ron, not you too," she said exhausted.

"Why did you defend that scumbag?" Ron said, exasperated.

"I didn't, I swear," she said, begging them to believe her with her eyes.

"Hermione, we both saw you cast that spell." Harry said resigned.

"How could I? I don't even know that spell. How could I have protected Malfoy from one of Professor Moody's spells? We haven't even been taught how to Transfigure people let alone counter-act its affects before it happens."

"We both know you're bloody brilliant already. You made Polyjuice Potion in Second Year." Ron argued.

"Honestly Ron, do you want the entire school to hear?" She hushed.

"Hermione, I get why you did that. Professor Moody shouldn't go casting a spell like that behind Malfoy's back, no matter how much he actually deserves it. I know that these things really bother you. But still…" Harry reasoned.

"You both really don't believe me." She quavered.

"Hermione, I would trust you with my life but I saw you cast the spell with my own two eyes." Ron accused.

"How could I have cast a spell without even realising it?" She exclaimed as a strange thought popped into her head.

What if her bizarre inexplicable link with Draco was the reason why everyone was so sure she had cast the spell? What if she had cast this spell without realising it? She needed to answer these burning questions before they consumed her so she did the one thing she knew. She ran to the library ignoring the distant shouts from her two best friends.

* * *

After an unpleasant hypocritical lecture from Moody on the way to the dungeons Draco prepared himself for the worst. It didn't help that Moody was intent on dragging him by the arm but it was a useful distraction from his mind whirring with thoughts of Hermione.

After what seemed like hours of being dragged one of Snape's infamous glares got Moody off his back. Draco proceeded carefully explained from start to finish about what had occurred emphasising how he had only drawn his wand by instinct. Snape was genuinely surprised by how honest Draco was being as his explanations were usually twisted and riddled with lies. A quick skim off the top of Draco's mind was enough for Snape to solidify Draco's claims.

"Draco, there is still one part to your story that doesn't make sense." Snape remarked after Draco had made his case.

"Oh, what part may that be?"

"Why is Salazar's name would Miss Granger defend you?"

"I have no idea." Draco answered. What surprised Snape most of all was that every sense that he had screamed that Draco's answer was a lie and Snape knew to trust his senses. Either Draco was purposely covering it up or he was lying to himself.

"Well, I guess that's just another mystery. And do you know what Mad-Eye would have done if she had not stopped it?" Snape continued knowing he would never get a straight answer.

"I think he mentioned transfigurations to McGonagall."

"That will be all for now Draco. I expect to see you after dinner, sharp. Expect an hour a night of marking for the next week." Snape ordered.

Draco left Snape in his office truly confused for the first time in a long while. Snape with his legendary Legilimency abilities was used to knowing many things. To have someone he thought he knew so well, like Draco, lie to him directly for such an unknown reason was a shock. However, one part of Draco's story stuck out as more important than the rest. Granger's ability to perfectly conjure a counter-spell seemed an impossible feat. How could Granger have possibly conjured such a perfect defence? Had Mad-Eye completely lost his touch or was there something more to Hermione Granger than books? His instincts leaned towards the latter which made him very uneasy. At least it provided him with a small distraction from Dumbledore's intent to humiliate him every year by filling the Defense position with anyone but him.

At dinner, Minerva McGonagall was still furious with Moody and proceeded to vent her frustrations to Snape as his complete disregard for small talk was often misinterpreted as extraordinary listening abilities. Tonight however, he was more intrigued than usual to her constant chatter.

"I can't believe Alastor would do something like that, risking a pupil's life and for what? Maybe Dumbledore shouldn't have brought him out of retirement." Minerva hushed under her breath.

"What's done is done, we must make the best of what we have." Snape said coldly.

"How are you so calm Severus? Draco is practically your nephew." She said awed by his lack of anger.

"But he was saved, by one of your own I believe," he countered.

"Yes, indeed he was. I need to talk to her about it but she was just so upset in the library. I couldn't bring myself to push her even further," she said bleakly.

"How so?" He said raising an eyebrow.

"I suspect that some of her friends weren't happy about her actions. Defending a Slytherin like Draco must seem like a betrayal to many in our house. She may seem strong but she has a delicate heart. Sometimes I detest how houses split us apart. It always turns people against each other for no reason. All she did was protect another student."

"Obviously, it must have been a minor spell, easy to counter-act in a fraction of a second."

"That's what I thought initially. To deflect a non-verbal spell cast by an ex-auror much her senior with no preparation. A general _protego_ would suffice for most things so that would be the logical choice. That isn't taught until O.W.L's but I'm sure she is more than capable of that. However, Alastor insisted that he was going to _only _use human-transfigurations on the boy. The only way to completely counter-act the effects as she supposedly did is to master Untransfigurations!" She said emphatically.

"Enlighten me on why that is so surprising to you. She has always loved to read ahead."

"Severus, you must understand that untransfigurations is the most difficult branch of transfigurations. It needs complete concentration, impeccable wand movements and an in depth knowledge of the spell you are going to counter-act otherwise terrible things can happen. When things go wrong, the best you can hope for is a quick clean death. That's why it's only taught to university students. It took me years to master."

"So the logical explanation for this is that Alastor was lying about his intended spell."

"Yes of course. I'm getting ahead of myself here. But just to think… the mere idea of it is completely preposterous," she reasoned.

"Yes, indeed it is." Snape remarked. Whatever _it _ was, Snape made it his mission to find out. Draco and Granger were hiding something but it wouldn't stay secret for long. He would make sure of it.

* * *

A.N. So what do you think Snape will do next? I'm so exited for what this story has to unfold. If you liked it, feel free to tell me what you liked. Until next time! xx


	8. Imperio

**Imperio**

Draco detested Mad-Eye Moody. That disgrace for a teacher was rash, temperamental and even more biased than the 'almighty' Dumbledore himself. It was all Moody's fault that Draco was stuck marking essay after essay wondering how Snape managed to be so _amiable _after reading through so much nonsense. It was also Moody's fault that many older Slytherins had taken an uncomfortable interest in Hermione and himself.

Draco had successfully managed to manoeuvre around such topics, which fooled most as they eventually forgot about what they initially intended to discuss but Pansy and Theo still gave him questioning looks from time to time. Theo wasn't a problem as he mostly kept to himself but Pansy was a living hell. She attached herself onto him and wouldn't budge no matter how much he tried. He had given up giving subtle hints and just tried to avoid her.

Everyone in Slytherin dreaded their first Defence lesson expecting the usual disregard towards their house but they never expected Moody would go so far as use 'the Unforgivables'. At first Draco thought that it was exiting to see a teacher finally break the rules as the enlarged spider danced around the room but then the lesson shifted. Moody's smile widened further, seeming to cut his face in half, morphing his already twisted face as he moved onto 'the Cruciatus Curse'. Moody was enjoying this, weilding abominable power over the defenceles; relishing the shock and disgust on their faces. How could an ex-auror forget that the curses he was using could trigger horrific responses in those whose childhood had been infected by Voldemort's reign? Did he even care?

Draco couldn't help but check Theo out of the corner of his eye as the huge spider writhed on a desktop. After finding reliable sources on Thestrals in the dark recesses of the library he had come to the sickening realisation that Theo had seen death and understood it before their first year. He knew that Theo's father was in deep with the Death Eaters but unlike Draco, Theo didn't have a mother to act as a buffer between them. He could only imagine the horrors that Theo had gone through.

No one in Slytherin had dared to ask Theo what had happened to Theo's mother. All anyone knew was that she had disappeared while Theo was a small child and has never been seen since. There were whispers of an affair; rumours that she loved another man more than her husband. In ancient pureblood society, adultery was seen as a betrayal of the highest order punishable by death. It was fair to guess that her death had been in the style of the old pureblood ways but Draco didn't like to put much stock into rumours; at best they were only a shade of the truth.

The ministry's blatantly pitiful effort to find her was only a front to ease the public. Either no one had cared enough to find her or there was nothing left to find. Neither option offered any comfort. Draco checked Theo again; his face was blanched of colour as he clenched his hands together to stop them from shaking. Theo's gaze was glazed over as he looked onward beyond the walls to blur the spider's pain into oblivion. Any casual onlooker wouldn't think much of it but Draco had seen this pose often enough on his mother to recognise its meaning. But in this bloody classroom he could do nothing but wait for it to be over.

Draco's blood boiled and his cheeks felt warm. His shoulders were tense and index finger tapped on his leg. How could Moody be so ignorant to how wrong this was? Draco pursed his lips together to prevent him from saying anything Gryffindor-like. Luckily Hermione ended up doing his job for him. It was impossible for him to try and hate her in these moments.

Avada Kedavra was the inevitable next step. One green flash and the spider was dead. How easy it seemed to kill, almost too easy. There was no defence, no counter spell or cure. Only Potter had managed to survive. It was supposed to be a miracle but it just seemed unfair. Out of all the people that had been murdered by the curse, the good and the bad who were all loved by someone, an infant survived.

It was cruel to give people the hope that they too could survive the inevitable. If an infant could survive against one of the most powerful wizards in waking memory then why couldn't they save the ones they loved too? Many had thought that Harry must have been an almighty wizard; someone with more power then even 'the Dark Lord' at his peak. To be honest, no one but Dumbledore could stand against him, least of all Potter. Albeit, the Scarhead did show an affinity for _Defence Against the Dark Arts_ but not enough to mark him as 'the chosen one' purely from his magical capabilities.

* * *

As the weeks went on, the work kept piling up and was actually starting to become more of a challenge. Hermione still kept beating him in almost every test by at least a mark or two but he still could beat her in Potions. On good days he was starting to equal her in Arithmacy and Charms but she was still quite ahead in Ancient Runes and Transfigurations. The teachers had started to take note of his gradual improvement although they were grew suspicious of his intentions. They still tried to not act impressed when he did particularly well.

Defence was the one subject that neither of them were thriving in thanks to Moody's obvious favouritism for Potter. Over the past few lessons, Moody had been testing the students one by one with the Imperius Curse. Only _precious Potter_ had been able to resist it so far. Moody had left Draco and Hermione last. Draco was wary of letting Moody have any control over him but couldn't allow anyone to see his weakness. So far he hadn't been terribly cruel to other Slytherins but Moody had developed a special disliking for him and Hermione.

"Malfoy, let's see how you fare." Moody grunted.

Draco's heart started to pump and beads of sweat gathered in his palms. While subtly wiping his hands on his trousers he swaggered forward determined to not allow Moody to control him.

"Now, step right here where we can all see you," he snarled.

Draco stepped to the front of the class; eyes forward, shoulders back and chin high.

"_Imperio," h_e growled.

As the spell infected Draco's mind he could feel its presence like a parasite, painfully worming through his defences. _Get on the ground Malfoy, on you knees… _it seemed to say. He could feel his knees unlock, ready to obey. Draco never realised how terrifying it would be to have someone else control your body. All he could do was refuse to let his knees bend any further.

_Get down on your knees Malfoy. Kneel you traitorous... _But how was he a traitor to Moody. What had he done to betray him?

_Don't play tricks with me. Get down on your knees you piece of scum... _But why? That didn't make any sense. Was he really a terrible person? All the things he had done, terrible things born out of arrogance and confusion. Maybe he really did deserve… **Noooo! **Wait – what was that? He thought he had heard a distant outcry from somewhere. Was something happening in the classroom or was he just hearing things in his mind?

Draco tried to push Moody away even further, to ignore his presence so he could see what was happening in the room. All he could feel was Hermione, in front of him. He could feel her comforting presence. Her energy pervaded into the room; rising and falling with every beat of her heart.

_"I said, on your knees!"_ Moody grunted, not realising that he had spoken aloud.

Draco concentrated on Hermione closing his eyes in concentration. Her energy felt warm like a crackling fire. Beautiful and deadly. He reached out to her still. She slowly started to respond without realising it. Unconsciously giving him a small stream of strength. _Even her subconscious was bloody generous_, he thought. Her little pulses of energy gave him warmth. Syrupy magic extended into his limbs supporting him, giving him enough power to straighten his knees again. It was overwhelming yet familiar. So much magic he could play with. Draco couldn't help but think of the things he could do with this kind of power. She was still holding back, guarding herself against him but for now this was enough to fight back. He would not obey to this madman any longer.

"_KNEEL DOWN NOW!" He ordered. _

"_No, no, no, no, no." he thought trying to take control of his voice again. _

"No." Draco grumbled struggling to find his voice.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY LADDIE?" Moody roared.

"No, I don't want to kneel on the ground?" Draco asserted, struggling to get out each syllable.

"As your teacher I'm ordering you to kneel, so you will kneel," he growled gripping his wand tightly.

"I don't think I will." Draco worded, finding it easier and easier to get the words out. Moody gave him a long stare urging Draco to kneel, but now it was easier to resist him. He could feel Moody's power slowly losing a grip on his mind. For a moment, Draco could swear that Moody looked scared.

Suddenly, Moody was out of his head and Draco felt his body crumple slightly inwards as if he were a puppet and Moody had cut the strings holding him up. The entire class stared at him in a mixture of awe, pride, disgust and loathing. The tension he held slowly eased and Draco could feel Hermione retracting. Although Draco wanted to reach back out to her he knew she would never allow it and neither should he.

He was left cold, hollow and exhausted. The heavy weight of the shocked students stares surrounding him felt like a tangible burden on his shoulders. He lifted his head to face them all already lightheaded from the effort but tried not to let it show.

"Now that was a prime example of how to resist the Imperius Curse. He fought against it and almost succeeded." Moody announced proudly as if the grudge against Draco was gone. It was if this whole experience had, in a twisted way made Moody finally respect him.

"I expect this from each of you when I try once more. Pack up for now but for homework I want each of you to remember what you just saw there. Remember how he fought, how he struggled through each syllable but never gave up. These are things that cannot be taught; they need to be learned from within!" He barked.

Draco put on a smug smile for all to see. He bet if it had gone on for any longer he could have beaten Moody completely but he couldn't shake the feeling that Hermione had much to do with it. Initially, he had resisted on his own but as Moody grew more desperate he had been so close to giving up. But something had stopped him. One word had snapped him out of the dark place he was going. It could have been a part of himself that had rebelled or maybe…

No, he wouldn't go down the path of making up fantastical tales to explain reality. He would need to find the truth. Somehow, somewhere, was the information he needed to figure out what the hell was going on. One thing he did know was that he had drawn on Hermione. While trying to push Moody away he had opened himself enough to let her in. And sweet merlin it had felt so good, like a shot of the finest firewhisky one could buy. But he would never allow himself to become an addict, reliant on her support. He would resist Moody again, without any of Hermione's help. But until then he would happily revel in the glory.

* * *

On the night before Hallowe'en, delegations from Beauxbatons arrived in an ornate horse drawn carriage souring through the sky like a dragon content. Durmstrang followed suit drawing in from the depths of the Great Lake in an ominous ship seemingly built by pirates long ago and pulled from the sea bed stripped of all paintwork and ornaments. It reminded Hermione of stories she use to read as a child. Her favourites were always tales of magic and adventure.

She found a seat between Ron and Harry. They had all inevitably made up, easily falling back into their old routines as if nothing had ever happened. Some Gryffindors still glared at her from time to time but most had forgotten the incident when she had supposedly defended Draco. Everyone sat impatiently watching the doors, eagerly anticipating the students arrival.

Hermione was yet to experience Moody's Imperius Curse test. After Draco, Moody had taken a few days for theory which was a huge relief. The most terrifying thing was that Hermione couldn't remember how Draco had fought off the curse. The start of the lesson was clear but the rest of the lesson came in bits and pieces. As soon as Moody cast the curse on Draco something had come over her, something intrinsic and elemental.

She remembered the emotions but the rest was a blur. Worry turned to anger, fear into despair. It was then she had cried out in her mind before guilt consumed her. She didn't know why she would ever feel such guilt; she had never done anything terrible in her life yet she couldn't forget the anguish, more pain than she knew one could feel and it was all over a complete mystery. She couldn't remember what she could have said but whatever had happened next was a complete blank in her mind. She could only remember hearing Moody's voice slowly come into focus seeming to congratulate Draco for doing well. What on earth could she have missed?

Before she could contemplate much longer, a finely dressed woman of huge proportions stepped into the hall. She was as tall as Hagrid although her slimmer figure seemed to exaggerate her towering height. She was Madam Maxine of Beauxbatons. Her students swept in, shivering in their silk robes which did little against the bitter Scottish weather.

Then came a man wrapped in silver furs. He was tall and thin with white hair and a curled goatee that attempted to hide his chin that had sagged with age. The man was named Karkaroff and he greeted Dumbledore with a questionable smile and yellowed teeth. He was followed by boys – or should she say men – whose naturally bulky statures were emphasised by their shaggy fur robes. It took only a moment for Ron to recognise a certain student.

"Harry – it's Krum!" Ron hushed while punching Harry in the arm with a little too much enthusiasm.

Hermione followed the boys stares and saw him. She recognised Krum from the Quidditch World Cup; his intense eyebrows, olive skin and curved nose were easy to spot amongst the crowd. Unlike others who looked on him, giggling and gushing over his every movement, Hermione waited for the feast to start not understanding what all the fuss was about. After all, he was just a boy.

The only thing that got Ron's attention away from Krum was food. As soon as he was stuffing his face as per usual, a girl from Beauxbatons finally took off her muffler. Her shimmering silvery blonde hair fell to her waist and her large eyes were a deep hypnotic blue. To top it all off, she had perfectly white and even teeth; a sight her parents would faint upon first seeing. She was the epitome of beauty attracting attention from all corners of the hall. She was both admired and envied for her looks. Hermione hated to admit that she fell into the latter category. It was hard to believe that someone so perfect could be real.

After the Golden plates were cleaned of main meals and desserts, Dumbledore stood introducing the external judges Bartemius Crouch, specialising in International Co-operation and Ludo Bagman, specialising in International Sports. Filch was then beckoned into the hall hauling a large wooden chest embossed with magnificent jewels.

After discussing procedure, Dumbledore tapped the chest thrice to reveal an unassuming wooded cup that was rough around the edges. It was filled with bright blue flames giving it its name, 'the Goblet of Fire'. Dumbledore set the time limit to twenty-four hours to submit their name into 'the Goblet' in order to compete in the Triwizard Tournament and made them aware about the age line around the goblet blocking all under seventeen from entering. He ended the speech with a warning on the importance of the decision to enter as it was not to be taken lightly. Hermione wasn't foolhardy enough to be tempted by the game. Although the prize was great, in her opinion, it was not worth the risk.

They were finally free to leave and Hermione with Ron and Harry headed for the door. Harry politely stopped to let Karkaroff through the doors getting a careless 'Thank you' and a general glance in his direction. Then Karakoff froze stopping everyone else from Durmstrang with him as he stared at Harry in disbelief. The Durmstrang students started to notice Harry too, nudging each other and staring at his scar.

Yeah, that's Harry Potter," Moody growled.

Karkaroff turned his attention to Moody as he spoke, now pale looking at Moody with a mixture of anger and fear.

"You!" Karkaroff said, unsure of what his eyes could see.

"Me." Moody said grimly. "And unless you've got anything to say to Potter, Karkaroff, you might want to move. You're blocking the doorway."

Karkaroff swiftly moved with his students with Moody watching his every step, face contorted as if he tasted something very bitter.

* * *

Early next morning, the Slytherins went down to support those who were entering their names in the goblet. If they didn't go no one would. Their best shot at getting a Slytherin champion was Cassius Warrington. He was physically huge and great at strategy in Quidditch. Although his morals were often sketchy at best he was still Draco's choice out of all of them. He had heard rumours of others such as pretty-boy Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff and even the catastrophic failures of the Weasley twins whose Ageing Potions had miserably backfired.

Draco spent the rest of the Saturday around the common room with the Slytherin boys eating luxurious treats sent by parents and playing games such as exploding snap and wizard chess filling in the gaps with idle chatter. No one would ever talk about anything deeper than holiday plans; you never knew when a question would hit too deep. They even looked out the window into the Great Lake trying to taunt the giant squid into making an appearance.

Soon enough, they headed into the Hallowe'en feast, which dragged on for hours. Draco got talking with many of the Durmstrang students for a while but even their foreign tales grew tiresome.

After an age of stuffing themselves with far too much food Dumbledore announced that the Goblet was going to make it's decision. With a sweeping gesture Dumbledore extinguished all the candles apart from those in pumpkins making the Goblet's blue-white flames blinding to look at. Dumbledore always loved to make everything dramatic.

Everyone leaned in; some tapped their foot or fiddled with their robes in impatience and anxiety until the flames turned blood red. A tongue of crimson flame leapt out leaving a charred piece of parchment in its place fluttering into Dumbledores hand. It was so quiet that you could hear his fingers crumple the parchment slightly as he grasped it.

"The Champion for Durmstrang will be – Viktor Krum." He announced.

_How perfectly predictable. Of course the quidditch star would get a chance for more money and fame_, Draco thought. He couldn't help but be skeptical sometimes.

Krum got up from their table. The entire hall applauded and Karkaroff's cheers boomed over the applause.

The hall settled again, falling back into silence eagerly anticipating the next.

As before, the flames turned red and shot out another piece of parchment.

"The Champion for Beauxbatons is – Fleur Delacour!" Dumbledore called out.

Up leapt a girl with ethereal beauty from the Ravenclaw table. She walked like a ballet dancer and captured the eye of the entire hall who cheered her on with the exception of a couple of her rivals who were sobbing rather loudly.

_Now that's a surprise. Maybe there really is something more to her looks. But then again, you can never trust a pretty face. She looked more veela than human, so perfect that it looked almost unnatural, _Draco thought. She should have been right up his street but for some reason her looks didn't quite appeal to Draco.

The hall settled once more as they waited for the Hogwart's champion. _For once, a Slytherin should win and represent their school, _Draco thought_._ The goblet's flames turned red again and shot out another piece of parchment.

"The Hogwart's Champion is Cedric Diggory!"

Every Hufflepuff jumped to their feet screaming and stamping for joy drowning out the disappointment from the other houses. Draco reluctantly clapped making it blatantly clear that he was not happy with the choice. Cedric could not contain his beaming grin. The cheering lasted much longer this time much to the Slytherins dismay. Draco, however, could begrudgingly understand why Cedric was chosen. He was annoyingly smart behind that pretty smile, dark hair and 'swoon-worthy' grey eyes that all the girls loved so much. He would have thought that the Goblet was rigged to only pick the 'pretty-ones' instead of the most worthy but then again Krum could never be described as being pretty.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore exclaimed as the cheering subsided. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real-"

But Dumbledore was interrupted as the goblet's flames turned red once more shooting out another piece of parchment. On reflex, Dumbledore seized the last piece of parchment holding it for a time.

He cleared his throat to read out whatever was on that last piece of parchment. The hall was silent in shock and apprehension.

Dumbledore opened his mouth and declared "Harry Potter."

_Oh for fuck's sake!_

* * *

Thanks for reading! I hoped you all had a nice holiday time. Between studying for prelims, being a bit sickly and watching Star Wars in cinemas, twice, I managed to have a pretty great time. Feel free to tell me what you think of this new chapter. I've tried to move the story on a bit in this chapter so I hope the pacing is alright. Thanks so much to _Frogster, RHCP Addict_ and_ galaapple12 _for leaving a review and to all those who followed and favourited this story, it means a lot!


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